Rise of a True Shield Hero (Redux)
by theoneandonlyedster
Summary: What if another was summoned instead of Naofumi? Follow Fergus Ward, an MMORPG veteran, as he becomes the legendary Shield-Hero, using his wits and fantasy knowledge to survive in this new world where nearly everyone wishes to see him suffer. Slightly alternate retelling of Rising of the Shield Hero with OC Shield-Hero. Eventual OCxRaphtalia. Rated M for mature topics and language
1. Apology - An Author's Note

**First of all I just want to apologise for suddenly deleting my story without explanation. There's no good reason for that honestly, I just panicked in the heat of the moment after watching more of the anime and saw no alternative. I honestly thought I was going to forget about doing this but then I thought again and realised "Maybe I can make this work"**

**For starters, I'm going to admit, I was very naive and under-prepared for writing a fanfiction about Rising of the Shield Hero. I'd only watched the first two episodes of the anime and none of the Light Novel content and was pretty much jumping in blind without knowing as much as I needed to. So I took a step back and admitted to myself that I needed to watch more of the anime in order to fully gauge where I might be going. And boy was I glad I did! Seriously, it was a much darker and grimmer world than I originally thought, and the way Naofumi is constantly beaten down and spited just for being the Shield Hero almost made me want to reach through and strangle Spear Hero, Malty, the King and all the other jerks there! Dark much? Now I can see why Naofumi is twisted and messed up, and why his character works so well because of his transformation from the curious newcomer to the distrusting loner and how he interacts with the world as a whole.**

**That last part is also a response to one of the reviewers on my previous story who feared I might not be a fan of Naofumi's character and why his portrayal is part of what makes ROTSH (for me) such a gripping anime. I really do see why it works, and how it makes the story great! I just thought, maybe I could put in an OC who might be a little wiser to the way fantasy worlds work, but will still be kicked around and despised just for being the Shield Hero. He might just respond a little differently to how Naofumi did (although that was completely justified). So the plot will move along the same, there might just be some bumps and twists along the way as my OC reacts differently. There might be SOME similarities with Naofumi's character, I mean it would just be stupid to ignore how being kicked around, vilified and ignored for something you couldn't help might affect one's character, but I will try my best to make him as different in as many ways as I can. **

**I'm also going to take that reviewer's advice and start from a fresh beginning. I must admit, trying to start with a Japanese background without knowing much about it was a stupid move. So he's going to be a veteran World of Warcraft player from an English-speaking country who was a warrior tank, and as such may be a bit of a faster learner as to how the Shield works and be able to get to grips with the fantasy elements of the new world and in so doing play things out a little wiser.**

**I'm also going to take the time and do my research, watch the anime and know what I'm talking about before publishing any chapters. I also intend to write a few chapters out first and review them before publishing the first one, just so I can be satisfied with how the story is progressing and correct any mistakes. So I can't promise when the first redux chapter is going to come out, but when it does, I'm not going to bore you with a backstory like I did in the first chapter...in fact, that'll only cover a few lines, maybe a paragraph but we'll kick right off where I ended the first chapter of the original, with my OC having just arrived in the world**

**Thank you to all those who reviewed, like, followed and gave a favourite to my first story, it meant a lot and I feel awful about letting both you all and myself down by not carrying on and providing an explanation as to why I deleted it. Hopefully I can make it up to you in this one. I'll see you in the first chapter!**

**With sincere apologies and thanks, theoneandonlyedster**


	2. Ch 1 - All Legends Start Somewhere

**As I promised in the apology author****'s note, we are going to kick things off where I left off in the original chapter, right after the heroes have been summoned! We'll cover a good portion of episode 1 in this chapter, and then the rest of episode 1 will follow in chapters 2 and 3. My plan is eventually to have one episode per chapter, but we will see how it goes.**

**And as I didn't do properly in the first story, the mandatory disclaimer that I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward**

Chapter 1 - All Legends Start Somewhere

"Agggh what the heck?" I muttered to myself as I slowly started to lift myself off the ground. My whole body was aching, hardly surprising since I'd landed flat on my chest on some marble surface. I'm surprised that the impact hasn't broken any of my ribs, not that I'm complaining of course! Now that I was getting my bearings, and ignoring the sudden weight I now felt on my…wait a second, since when did my right hand feel so heavy?

I looked down and was surprised, and startled, to see a miniature shield affixed to the back of my hand. It looked quite ordinary, just a simple grey shield with black markings and a black line going horizontally across the middle in which was affixed a small green gemstone. But I could definitely feel the hum of some untapped power hidden there, waiting to be activated. Deciding I'd worry about that later, I got to my feet and checked my surroundings.

We seemed to be in an ornate marble room, held up by multiple pillars that seemed to form a semi-circle around the current occupiers. And directly behind the gaggle of people straight ahead of me was an opening to the outside world, adorned by strange markings and patterns that were completely unfamiliar. And directly below our feet, and to compound my already growing suspicions of where we might be, a ritualistic circle with strange patterns and symbols was slowly fading out of existence, most likely to symbolize that whatever had been cast was now complete.

As I took all this in, the man at the front of the crowd who had blonde hair and whose forehead was adorned with a circlet was continuing his explanation of what had just taken place:

"There is a long and complicated story behind why we have summoned you here, but to put it simply: we have summoned you Four Cardinal Heroes here using an ancient ritual. For our world teeters on the brink of destruction, and only the four Heroes have the power to save it. So please, we beg of you brave heroes, please save us!"

"_Four Cardinal Heroes?_" I thought to myself. That sparked the next realization that all but confirmed things for me. One of the words in that book I was reading before I got transported here, it was Cardinal and was the prefix given to the four heroes that were described in that book! There was no doubt about it, we were in a different world. As much as I had fantasized about being here, I doubt I could have been too prepared for the real thing! My thought process was interrupted however by each of the others who had arrived with me:

"I suppose I could hear you out." Said the person immediately to my right, his tone sounding as though this was beneath him. However, what I didn't expect were the responses from the other two:

"I refuse" "Likewise"

"_Wait, what the heck?_" I thought to myself as I looked over toward them, getting a better look at their features in the process.

The guy immediately to my right was the tallest of the lot of us. He looked to be about 20 years old and had long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, and was currently wearing a red-collared open shirt, beneath which was another white shirt, with yellow leggings held up by a brown belt with a metal buckle. Over his shoulder was a mostly white spear with a red gem affixed in the blade, which jostled around as he spoke again: "We can go back to our world right? We'll talk about your problems after that."

The guy next to him then spoke up again: "Don't you lot feel any guilt at all for bringing us here without our consent?" This person had black hair which curtained a currently stern and pissed off face, and was also clad similar to me and blonde-hair, sporting a blue jacket over what, in the light, seemed to be a purple shirt with black leggings. In his right hand he wielded a plain-looking sword with a yellow strip down the middle that was currently pointed at the figure who was addressing us.

"_Jeez,_" I thought to myself "_I wasn't expecting them to react at all well to being transported here, but this is nuts! I was expecting confusion, maybe panic and some demands, but not to this extreme! What's up with these guys?_"

As I was pondering their reaction, the last of the four of us spoke up in a disapproving tone: "And if you send us home as soon as peace is restored, we'd have worked for nothing." Considering how the rest of us were dressed so casually, this guy really stood out. He was probably the youngest looking of the four of us, with blonde curly hair and a youthful expression currently soured by annoyance, and was wearing what looked like a green school blazer all buttoned up at the chest with an open v-neck which sported a red tie over a white shirt, as well as charcoal grey jeans. In his hands was a bow with white trim and yellow tips on each end. As he finished, the guy with the spear spoke up again:

"How willing are you to accommodate us? Depending on your answer, we might end up becoming your enemies instead." The looks on the faces of the other two showed they agreed with this sentiment.

It was about this time that I couldn't hold myself in any longer. Seriously! We were barely in this world for one minute and these guys were already acting like jerks and making demands. I get that they, like myself, might have had experience in these sorts of worlds, but this wasn't a game right now, this was reality, and it's time I brought them back down to earth with some home truths:

"Are you guys for real right now?! And am I the only one who understands what the hell is going on here? Seriously, we've been transported to another world we know nothing of by goodness knows what means, been given some lofty titles by people we barely know, and you lot are acting as though you're the Gods of this world, making this demand and wanting that? For goodness sake some simple priorities might be in order here don't you think?!" As I finished off my opening rant, the crowd in front of me took a step back as though I'd verbally scolded them, whilst the other three 'Heroes' looked over at me with annoyed expressions.

"Geez stop blowing your top like that, we're just taking things as they come. Surely if we're such legendary heroes like they said surely we have a right to some perks?" This came from the guy with a spear, his spare hand and shoulders coming up in a shrug. The sword-bearer looked at me dead in the eye with a properly miffed expression whilst the Bowman followed up by saying: " Look, we're as confused as you as to why we're here, but we'd be dumb to not try and act as though we know what we're doing. Why, do you have any useful ideas?"

I took a deep breath and composed my thoughts. Bow guy had called me out and expected me to come up with answers, and I intended to follow through. Sword guy could stare creepily at me all he wanted, I didn't care, nor did I give any credence to spear dude, he already struck me as some entitled punk who thinks he is God's gift.

I stepped in front of all 3 of them, folded my arms to my chest and started speaking. "Look, we're in an unfamiliar world, and by the sounds of it, you guys are somewhat familiar with this sort of thing, as am I. And in these worlds, yeah you become the legendary hero with all this great gear, praise heaped upon you for your feats, yadda yadda yadda. But we start from scratch, with basic gear and basic weapons and have to work and grind our way to lofty heights of legend and glory right? There has to be a reason why we've been given the title of Legendary Heroes. I mean look at us, do we really look the part right now, dressed like ordinary guys from our world? We need information, about the world, how it works, the people we'll be interacting with, the Four Heroes legend, all stuff that could help us survive here. Once we know all this, and if we survive and live up to these Legends they say we are, then, by all means, demand all the fame and glory that you want, because we will have EARNED it!" I finished, looking around at each of them as if daring them to contradict me.

None of them could, although Sword guy continued to stare a hole right through me with an irritable expression whilst the Bowman put a hand to his chin and nodded thoughtfully. Looks like I'd given them something to think about at least. Spear guy, to my utter lack of surprise, just sighed and shrugged again, saying "Sure, I *guess* that could be useful. Alright then, brave and mighty 'Hero', what's your next brilliant idea?" I could hardly hold in a small growl at his obvious sarcasm.

"Just shut up and watch" I replied as I turned around to the crowd of cloaked figures who appeared to be half in fear, half in awe at the display. I bowed politely to the one who had spoken to us "Forgive myself and my companions for our ignorance." From behind me, I heard a scoff, most likely from Sword guy, but I ignored it. "As you can probably tell, we are a bit clueless to what is going on here, especially in regards to us being supposed Heroes of legend. If you are able to, perhaps you could explain some of these things to us? It would be very helpful, especially if, as you said, we are meant to save this world."

The robed figures all let out sighs of relief, probably glad that we weren't continuing to make demands of them. The leader spoke up again: "Of course brave heroes, it would be an honour. Please, allow us to escort you to an audience with the king of our country. He should be able to answer your questions better than I. And if you still desire a reward, I'm sure he would be happy to negotiate such with you."

"Thank you very much. Does that sound good with you guys?" I asked, looking behind me at them. All of them sighed rather dramatically but gave their assent, still in the same demanding tones they'd used before I'd spoken up:

"Fine, I guess." "I suppose we could consider their offer." "Not like our demands are gonna change, no matter who we talk to."

No prizes in guessing who spoke that last comment. I facepalmed quietly to myself as I started to follow the crowd, who had turned around and started escorting us. "_These guys are going to be a pain in the ass to work with, I can tell,_" I thought despondently.

§

As we were led out of the chamber we were summoned in, turns out it wasn't just a passage to the world outside that awaited. From the looks of it, we were starting from the basement of a tower and would have to climb a winding stone set of stairs in order to get our first look at the world outside. As we were climbing, a window came up on our left-hand side. Deciding to have a quick peek at our new surroundings, I strode up to the window and took a first look at this world, and boy did I not regret it:

I'd been on a few holidays back in the real world, but never to Eastern European countries. However, it didn't mean I was completely ignorant of how they looked. Plus, I was an avid history reader too, so I had a cursory knowledge of how towns and cities looked from every time period. From an initial glance, it seemed that we were in a mix of both a medieval and Mediterranean setting, with architecture that wouldn't have looked out of place in a 16th or 17th-century city but with an obvious Eastern European influence. Obviously, this world, being a fantasy setting, would have no idea of these places existing, but the parallels were apparent. In terms of places we could have been summoned to, this wasn't bad at all

"Hey 'Hero', what's the hold-up? Admiring the scenery?" I heard Spear Guy call out from behind, I turned my head slightly, seeing the other three looking at me with various expressions of annoyance and impatience.

"Funnily enough, I was. You guys should take a look yourself on the way up, it's quite the view." Having said that, I turned back and continued to follow the robed figures up the stairs. As I was, I heard three various sounds of satisfaction. Seems like they were as impressed as I was.

As we left the tower and started being led to what seemed to be the royal palace, and whilst marvelling in and taking in our surroundings, I noticed something out of the corner out of my eye which I'd thought at first was just part of the scenery. However, even after we had changed locations and even as I was looking around at the various buildings that appeared on our route, it hadn't left. It was small but noticeable, a green circle with three dots in the middle and surrounded by four corner borders. Curious, and not trying to make it seemed obvious, I move my hand in front of the icon and tried to interact with it that way, but nothing happened, even when I tried various other small hand movements. "_Hmmm_," I thought to myself "_Can't be interacted with by hand, but it's obviously there for one reason or another. Let's try something else._" So I took a shot and started focusing on it with my eyes, hoping it would give me a clue. It didn't. Instead, a whole display appeared right in front of me, and it was all I could do not to stumble due to shock. A whole grid of information was there, with my name, class, an experience bar and a lot of other information that one would expect to find on the character sheet of your typical MMORPG game. Deciding to have a more detailed look later, I stopped focusing on it and turned my gaze elsewhere, and the stats screen winked out

§

"So, these are the four Cardinal Heroes that the ancient legends speak of?"

After we had arrived at the castle at the heart of the city, the four of us were immediately escorted towards the throne room. After witnessing the architecture of the buildings around us as we'd moved through town, I was expecting a similar style on the insides, and I wasn't disappointed. It was similar to a throne room that would have been right at place in any of the palaces from back in the real world. In terms of the colour scheme, it favoured red for the material aspects, such as the long rug we were currently striding up and flanked by guards at various points, and gold outlining on the marble white walls and pillars that surrounded us, as well as on the emblem behind the thrones.

As we approached I looked around at the figures in front of us. To our left were a couple of men standing smartly in what appeared to be the garb of high-ranking officials, most likely these would be the ministers or advisers of the kingdom. To our right, a small crowd of females of varying ages, all clad in uniforms very similar to maids, which would appear to be their function here too. And then there was the king himself, clad in white and purple robes with all manner of gold jewellery clasped around it, and who sported a slight white beard and a small mane of white hair, atop which was a golden crown with a purple gem in the middle. As he started speaking in a smooth, deep voice, I took a quick glance over at a second throne, obviously meant for a queen but was currently unoccupied. Surely for such a major event, the queen would be here too you would think? But that was a matter for an entirely different time as I returned my gaze to the king who as still speaking:

"I am the king of Melromarc, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII. Heroes of legend, please step forward and identify yourselves."

In no particular order, the introductions started. I decided to wait until last, seeing as how the others looked more than ready. The Sword Hero went first: "My name is Ren Akami, 16 years old and a high schooler."

"_That's a Japanese name._" I thought to myself "_But then how am I able to understand him? I'm sure he's speaking in his native tongue after all._" I pushed these thoughts aside for the moment as the Spear Hero stepped forward: "I'm Motoyasu Kitamura, 21 years old, and I'm a college student."

Then it was the Bow Hero's turn: "I guess I'm up next. My name is Itsuki Kawasumi, 17 years old and also a high schooler."

As Itsuki stepped back, I stepped forward, put my right hand bearing the shield over my heart and started to say "And my name is-" before I was cut off from a source I did not expect

"Hmmm, I see, Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki if I am saying them right? Those are your names?"

Alarm bells started a little in my head at what just happened. The King had obviously seen me enter with the others, he'd even started off by calling us the Four Heroes, but then before I could introduce myself he had cut me off! The only conclusion I could reach at that time was a terrible one, that he had done such deliberately. But why? Even the others seemed puzzled as to why this had happened but didn't say anything. I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind for now and tensed myself, knowing what I was about to do could be considered disrespectful and rude, but I had to do something, just to gauge the situation and hope I was wrong, and besides, it was only fair that everyone knew the names of all four of us after all!

I took a deliberate step forward, keeping my hand over my heart and bowing my head and spoke up in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, forgive my rudeness for interrupting you, but I was just about to introduce myself." The king's eyes flicked over towards me, and in that brief second I caught something more than just his gaze turning to me. Was that a flash of annoyance? Surprise? In terms of the others, Itsuki glanced over at me as though I was nuts, whilst Ren and Motoyasu maintained a neutral expression. I ignored their gazes and my observations for the moment as I continued. " My name is Fergus Ward, I am 22 years old and I am a university student."

The king sighed openly but followed up by saying: "My apologies Fergus, no offence meant." I bowed again and responded: "None taken your majesty, my apologies again for the interruption. Please carry on." As I finished, I stepped back in line beside the others, noticing briefly the expressions of those on both sides of the throne, and they were incredibly varied, ranging from disbelief to confusion, from embarrassment to in some cases mild anger.

The king, however, continued as though nothing happened: "Now then, you are probably wondering why you were summoned here. Let me explain the situation to you. My kingdom of Melromarc and the entire world itself is headed towards destruction. This world carries with it a prophecy, one that is apocalyptic in its nature, that speaks of a phenomenon called 'Waves' that will bring ruin to our world and will reportedly occur several times. If these Waves and the calamities they bring about are not stopped, it will bring about the end of the world. Because of this, every country in this world has a magical dragon Hourglass that has been set up in order to predict when the next Wave will arrive. We've already had to deal with one of these waves. We survived, but not without heavy casualties, and it is said that the following Waves are more potent than it's predecessor. Currently, the next Wave is predicted to arrive in just under a month's time."

My eyes widened as he finished his explanation, noticing out of the corner of my eye various levels of surprise and disbelief on the faces of the other Heroes. I don't blame them, all of this sounds crazy! A world-ending prophecy? Waves that could bring ruin to the entire kingdom? No, not just this kingdom, every kingdom! How was that possible? What sort of potent force did these Waves contain that made them so deadly? There was still a lot of unanswered questions, one of which was something I knew both myself and the others wanted to know. Why we were summoned here? It obviously had something to do with battling these Waves but we needed more information.

The king sighed again before continuing his explanation: "I understand if this is all hard to take in, it must seem quite far-fetched to you. But let me finish. In truth, we underestimated the power of the Waves, and as such, we realized that only the power of the Four Cardinal Heroes would be enough to counter them. That is why we followed up on the Legend and summoned the four of you here, it seemed the only thing we could do given the dire circumstances."

That settled it. This was definitely the tale of the book I had read that brought me here. A dire tale indeed! But what could four ordinary kids from a world far outside of this one do about it? Just as I was about to speak up with these thoughts, Ren spoke first: "So now we understand the situation, but surely you didn't summon us and expect the four of us to save the world for free?"

One of the ministers standing near the King stepped forward and spoke up in answer to Ren's question: "Of course, once you repel all of these Waves we would be more than happy to reward you handsomely." Whilst the way Ren asked the question still ticked me off, it was a fair question. It was a monumental task before us, and we definitely should receive some sort of gift or reward for all the effort we'd most likely put in. In terms of that expectation the four of shared something in common.

Ren then spoke up again "Fine, we'll work with you so long as you don't turn on us", glancing left and right at the rest of us. We all nodded, Motoyasu going a bit further by saying. "Well as long as we have your Word on that, I suppose that's acceptable." I also added a little warning myself: "However, don't think for a moment that you can put a leash on us and make us dance to your tune." " Exactly, we can't have any of you here looking down us," Itsuki said last of all.

The king's tone hasn't changed as he spoke up again, as though he was expecting these answers from us. "I'm glad we are all in agreement, now you all should check your statuses."

"_Statuses? Wait…does he mean…? Best ask to clarify_" I turned to the king and asked, "Do you mean the screen that shows your name, class, stats and other information?" The king again looked to me, and I didn't miss it this time, a look of complete and utter surprise. But just like last time it faded after a second as he nodded and replied. "Yes, that screen. Can I assume you have already discovered this Fergus?" I nodded before responding. "I have, I noticed the icon on my way here and worked out how to open it," turning my focus to the icon as I was speaking and opening up the menu. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that only Ren had figured it out as well, his eyes shifting through the various bits of information whilst Motoyasu and Itsuki looked around confusedly. Noticing their confusion, Ren sighed and said to them. "You haven't found it yet? It should've been one of the first things you noticed in this world."

Even though Ren's arrogance was seeping through every word he was saying at that point, now was not the time to argue, so I carried on from where he left off: "If you look closely in your field of view, you should notice a small icon in the bottom right corner, it's a green circle with three dots in the middle and surrounded by four corner borders. If you focus your eyes on it it should open up the menu." Taking my advice, the two of them did such and marvelled at the amount of information that appeared in front of them. After a few moments of looking through everything and absorbing all the information it contained, Itsuki brought up the obvious elephant in the room, our level: "It says here I'm Level 1, and I'm assuming that's the same for the rest of you. That's slightly troubling."

His concern was valid, Level 1 was considered entry tier in fantasy and MMORPG games and not very strong at all. Ren and Motoyasu frowned at this as I rubbed my fingers against my chin, pondering this aloud: "Itsuki's right, I doubt we can do much at this level, especially if these Waves are as potent as His Majesty says. From the looks of it we will have to increase our level, but to do that…" I was cut off from this trail of thought as the King inserted himself and took over the conversation: "…you must all leave on an adventure to develop and upgrade the legendary weapons you carry."

At this point, Motoyasu interjected: "If these are legendary weapons, surely we should be able to just equip and use other weapons until we reach the required level?" "We'll just have to figure that out as we go," Ren replied. "Until then we should train ourselves." "That's right, we should level up as quickly and efficiently as we can…" Itsuki started; catching on to his train of thought I followed up by saying "…and the best way to do that is the four of us to form a party."

"I'm sorry to interrupt heroes, but for the present time, you will each have to recruit a party and adventure separately. The reason behind this proposition is that the prophecy states that each of the legendary weapons repels each other by nature, " stated the minister standing behind the king's throne. "Working together will actually hinder your development instead of accelerating it."

"_They do seem to be truly sincere in wanting us to fight the Waves and would have no reason to lie to us about it,_" I thought to myself "_And that actually makes sense in some sort of way, legendary weapons are supposed to be the most powerful weapons in any world or game, they were bound to come with some conditions._" I looked at the others, seeing they had come to the same conclusion. We all nodded at each other before turning back to address the king and his minister. I spoke up, saying "We have just arrived in this world, we have no reason to disbelieve you. We accept these conditions."

The king then extended a hand towards one of the windows: "The sun is setting and the day draws to a close. You should all get some rest and start your adventure tomorrow. In the meantime, we will make sure to gather the best of the best to form your parties." A maid then approached us, "We have prepared rooms for you. Please, follow us." With this, I and the others gave one last bow to the king before turning around and following the maids out of the throne room.

§

"You know, being Heroes of legend is already proving to have its advantages. These rooms are great, and the maids who showed us up were pretty cute as well!" Motoyasu called out happily as he leaned back on the bed, stretching his arms with a content sigh.

We were currently gathered in Itsuki's room to go over what we had learned today and to get to know each other, and looking around I had to agree with Motoyasu, the room was pretty sweet: a luxurious and comfortable bed, a bedside table, ornate rugs covering the ground, windows that gave us a good look over the entire city, as well as a sofa, set of chairs and a small table, upon which we were currently gathered around sipping some drinks.

"Yeah, not to mention the dinner was very generous as well, although it did taste pretty unusual," Itsuki said.

"That's hardly surprising considering we are in another world after all, " I replied, leaning back on my chair, "kind of like a game…Wait, I didn't mean to say that!" As I tried to take back what I said, Motoyasu chuckled at my expense, twisting it a little further by saying "You mean exactly like a game, right Fergus?"

I sighed. "No, that's not what I meant, but you got me there so I'll give you that. Speaking of which, I apologize for blowing up back at the tower and criticizing you for not taking this seriously. You guys are just taking it as it comes and going with what seems familiar, which is perfectly understandable. But I'm still going to maintain this it more than it seems, but I won't press it on you."

Itsuki smiled back at me. "No sweat Fergus," he replied, "Your reaction was understandable as well, being sucked into a different world would be a harrowing experience for anyone, and not everyone will have the same reaction. But until we know more, we are just going to go along with what we are familiar with, as you pointed out, and see how it goes for us."

"That seems fair, I can't argue with that. I just hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Honestly, I hope you guys are right, but until we know more, I'm just going to be cautious." I said back.

Motoyasu then spoke up again: "You know, this seems exactly like Emerald Online." Upon seeing the three of us look back at him with confused expressions, his mouth opened slightly in shock "Wait, seriously? You guys have never heard of it? It's super famous!" Itsuki shook his head. "This isn't some online game, this seems more like the world out a console game," he responded "a game called Dimension Web." But to this Ren spoke up "You're both mistaken, it's a VRMMO, exactly like Brave Star Online." To this I spoke up "Whilst the world and stats are slightly different, to me, this feels more like World of Warcraft, the most popular MMORPG game where I come from."

This was all confusing, we each seemed to think this was similar to a game each of us played, however, it was apparent the other three had no idea about each individual's game. Motoyasu stood up from the bed and looked at Ren: "Let's try and figure this out. Ren, can we take the term VRMMO literally at this point in time?" Ren nodded in response before Motoyasu turned to us "You guys have some idea what this means as well yes?"

Itsuki nodded in response "A sci-fi game I was familiar with was exploring the content" he said whilst I followed up by saying "it's not something that's been developed yet, but the concept has been explored, and VR games are now considered mainstream."

Motoyasu took all this on, pondering to himself. I was processing this information also and then had a small brainwave. It was a crazy theory but would make sense considering what we already know. I brought it up to the others. "Wait, you three are all from Japan yes?" I got three nods in response and continued "I do have a theory that might explain all of this, but I need to test it out. Simple question, who is on your thousand yen bill?"

I got three different answers, which caused the other three to look at each other and exclaim "Who?!" I gave a slight nod, this was confirming my theory but I needed more proof: "Let's try something else: Who won the latest Buzzword of the Year?" Again, three different answers, I then moved on to something more general that everyone should know: "Which countries won World War Two?" Three different answers again. I tried a few more: "Who's your favourite actor?" "Who's the Prime Minister of Japan?" Every time, it was three different answers, and each time they were answers I'd never heard of either through my limited knowledge of history. I was right!

"It seems you are all from different versions of Japan," I affirmed, "and judging by the fact that I have no idea of any of the names or answers you brought up, I would assume I am from a version of the United Kingdom that is from another different version of the world."

"I thought we might just all be from different eras," Motoyasu said, nodding in agreement, "but from what we just gathered, they seem to be entirely different as Fergus said."

Silence reigned for a few seconds as everyone processed this information before Itsuki spoke up again: "There's something else I ought to bring up which might affect one of us. I don't know if it's the case elsewhere, so I have to know…" and with that, he turned to look at me, "Fergus, what role does the Shield play in the game you play?"

This was obviously something that was bothering Itsuki, and judging by their expressions as Itsuki asked this, Ren and Motoyasu as well. Noting this, I tried to recall what I remembered about shields in World of Warcraft: "In WoW, a shield is a type of armour carried in the off-hand equipment slot which contributes to the Armor stat and can prevent damage by blocking attacks, and is always used alongside a one-handed weapon. It's used by three classes in the game, The Warrior, the Paladin and the Shaman, and come in two different types: those with defensive statistics like defense rating or dodge rating, which are used by tanking classes such as the Protection Warrior and Protection Paladin, and those with spellpower statistics, which are suitable for healers such as the Holy Paladin and Restoration Shaman and one damage class, the Elemental Shaman."

The other three frowned at that, seemingly confirming what they were fearing. "So no classes in your game use a Shield on its own correct?" Ren asked. I nodded "Whilst it is possible, you are losing valuable stats that your weapon provides as well as abilities that can be only be used with a one-handed weapon equipped, so for optimal performance, it is never used on its own." "Ah, that would make sense," Itsuki said, pondering thoughtfully, "and would also confirm our fears." I frowned, latching onto what they are thinking "Sounds as though you guys have your own explanations about the role of a player who only wields a Shield, correct?"

Motoyasu sighed and looked over at me "There's no simple way of saying this Fergus," he paused for a second, composing himself before stating. "In the game I play, The Shielder, which is the class that specializes in Shield-only play…no-one at high level plays it. It's seen by most players as a class for losers."

A silence filled the room again after Motoyasu's statement as I pondered this latest news. Turning to the others, I only had one question: "Is this the case for your games as well?" They both nodded, confirming my fears. I let out a sigh…things had just gotten a little more complicated for me. As the others started discussing their plans for tomorrow, my mind was elsewhere.

This new information seemed to connect a few things I had experienced so far in this world. The expressions on people's faces whenever they looked at me, as though they were embarrassed to have such a loser be one of the four Heroes. The surprised expressions on everyone's faces, especially the King's, when they discovered I had figured out how to use the Status menu before they could explain it to us, as though they were expecting me to not be very smart at all. The King ignoring me before I could introduce myself and then cutting me off and taking over one of my explanations as if I was unimportant and not worthy of consideration.

Combining this with the way Shield users were used in the games that the other three Heroes had played, it was entirely plausible that this world too had a bias towards Shield users. As I stood up and proceeded to open up the windows and stepped out on the balcony, looking over at the city below and then looking down at the Shield on my right arm, another horrible thought occurred to me…that this could be just the tip of a much deadlier iceberg that I would be colliding with imminently….

I sighed as the wind messed my hair and caused it to flap around my cheeks and the fringe to fall across my eyes. It was just a feeling, nothing more and nothing I could act on right now. After a little period of musing about what to do next, I turned around and headed back inside, closing the windows behind me. As I entered, the others finished their conversation and looked over at me, obviously curious as to what was on my mind.

I took a deep breath and readjusted my hair, pulling it back behind me so that it resumed its natural form, a long mane of brown hair running down the back of my neck until it reached the point where my neck was level with my shoulder blades, and adjusting the fringe so that it no longer obscured my vision. I then addressed them saying "Just been putting a few thoughts together…if the Shield functions exactly as it does both in your worlds and mine, it looks like I'll have my work cut out for me even more so than you guys."

Itsuki was watching me carefully, and as I finished he spoke up. "We've made our plans, sounds like we'll all be going our separate ways in the morning. How about yourself?"

"I just have to hope the King finds us some good party members, and that I'll be able to have a party containing some high-damage dealers. Afterwards, find the nearest weapon store and hope that I am able to use a one-handed weapon and go from there."

"And what if one of those things doesn't go your way, say you only get one party member or that you find out that you can only use the Shield. What then?" Motoyasu asked.

I ran a hand through my hair awkwardly as I thought about that…even one of those factors being the case would make my level grind a lot harder. "Then I guess I'll just have to improvise…" As I trailed off, a thought came to mind, a memory of something from my reality. The thought of that made me grin slightly as Ren, Motoyasu and myself made our way out of Itsuki's room. Before I walked through the door, I turned to the others and asked: "By the way, did your versions of the world have a fictional superhero called Captain America?"

The look of confusion on their faces gave me their answer as I left them with this "Well if I'm right, and this isn't just a game, maybe I can channel a little bit of Cap and bash enemies with my mighty shield!" At this, I couldn't help but chuckle aloud, a reaction that left my fellow Heroes with bemused expressions on their faces as I strode down the hallway to the room assigned to me with one thought going through my head at that time

Maybe I could make this work.

**A/N Wowzers that dragged on more than I intended! So much so that I'm calling the first chapter right there. I had originally planned to cover more of episode one in this chapter, but seeing how long this went on for, I've decided to cut it there and save the rest of episode one for chapters two and three. By the time this gets published I will have finished chapter two as well and be working on chapter three. As I said, I plan to stay a chapter or two ahead.**

**I really hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I think I can pretty much confirm now the length of time between chapter uploads. I plan to do one chapter a week, so as not to pressure myself too much and be able to write, grammar check and then double-check my work again before publishing. The only reason why this took a week and a half to publish was that I was writing 2 chapters first before I published this one. From now on, I should be uploading on either a Thursday or Friday evening every week unless circumstances or life gets in my way**

**You've probably already noticed the differences between the way Fergus acted here and how Naofumi acts in the original. Like I said in the apology note in the previous chapter, I absolutely love Rising of the Shield Hero and a big part of that is Naofumi's character and how he responds to the world and everything that happens to him. This was never intended to be a knock on the original, I just wanted to explore the same story with a very slight twist to it. And whilst the overall plot will remain the same and will aim to reach the same conclusion, there will be some differences in how things play out here than what happened in the original, some minor and others more obvious, due to the way I have set Fergus' character up, which will affect the world a little but not too drastically.**

**Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster, signing off for now and I will see you in the next chapter!**


	3. Ch 2 - The Adventure Begins

**I hope the week****'s wait isn't bothering you all too much! Trust me, if I could go faster I would but this is a pace I am comfortable with, means I can take my time and make sure every chapter is up to my standards rather than trying to rush it. However, if you are looking for a good Self-Insert ROTSH fan-fic that is updated often, I would advise you to check out "The Fear of the Kingdom" by ChsisAnialation, I'm enjoying that story a lot myself and is a story I go back to in case I need a reminder of how certain scenes play out**

**Back before I published the first chapter, another user PM'ed me wondering if I would write a fanfiction including a fifth legendary hero. I have to admit it's a good idea, but I am not great when it comes to developing and creating original content and ideas. I work best by borrowing off the source material and adapting things based on the established rules set by the world. But it is a good idea! Now onto the reviews from chapter 1!**

**Williams1996, HiddenHero220, Akira D. Ryusuke, Guest: I'm glad you liked the Captain America reference! Maybe if people are open to the idea, I might try having the same style of Shield pop up so that Fergus can absorb it and use it. Will see how the story goes**

**Lightningblade49: You'll see how he handles things a little differently in the following chapters. Thank you for the review!**

**Zaeva: Thank you, I will do so, it would be good to have some ideas from other Shield Heroes!**

**Zinmaster24: Thank you for coming back, and thank you again for the advice. Thank you for pointing out a work-out routine. Seeing as I have already done Chapter 3 and I am about to start Chapter 4, that could be a good part of the next chapter, him and Raphtalia doing work-outs to improve their strength and muscles. And yes I will do my best to avoid making huge walls of text.**

**Boomburst: That's is one of my biggest challenges going forward, that I don't just retell the story straight up. Hopefully, the differences between Fergus and Naofumi and the way Fergus does things will allow me to open up the story as such that scenes will run differently whilst reaching the same conclusion. Thank you for the review**

**Hercules8, PJ Doungtal: Thank you for the kind reviews, I do intend to keep this up because I am really enjoying writing this, and I hope you continue to enjoy the ride! **

**Now that that's out of the way, on to the second chapter! As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward**

Chapter 2 - The Adventure Begins

I woke up, momentarily freaking out over the strangeness of the bed I was sleeping in before I remembered the previous day's events. Oh yes, how could I forget being transported into a new world and being labelled as one of the four heroes out of a prophecy? Sounds like the plot of your average fantasy anime, except this wasn't an anime, or a game as the others were treating it. This was real, and today was the start of figuring out how we were going to survive.

Well, that's a half-truth, my figuring out had already started as I'd tried to go to sleep last night. I just couldn't get out of my mind some of the strange events of yesterday, about how I was initially ignored and was only recognised after I spoke up myself, about how the king and his advisers were giving me looks of surprise and disdain out of the corner of their eyes or for a fleeting second whenever I was explaining things or displaying intelligence, as if they couldn't believe how smart I was being. And combine that with what the others were saying last night about the Shield class…could it all add up as I thought it did? Could there really exist a bias against the Shield Hero in this world as well? And if that was the case, how much of a problem could that be going forward?

It was whilst those questions were coming up that I made a decision. It added up way too well to just be ignored, and I didn't want to be caught off guard if, as I feared, something happened to try and drag me down. I was going to hope for the best, and prepare for the worst, just like I had told the others on how I was going to approach this world for the time being. It's not like I was instantly going to distrust anyone I came across, I was just going to be careful, approach things calmly and really think through every word and action I undertook, and try not to make myself too suspicious in the process.

"_Really wish I didn't have to act so on eggshells from now on,_" I thought to myself as I greeted the others and we proceeded toward the throne room, "_but if it helps me survive these first few days and makes me ride a little easier going forward, then I can live with that. Heck, I don't really know anyone here enough to be able to trust them yet, not even these guys._"

§

As the doors opened to the throne room and the four of us walked in, heading towards the throne, the set-up seemed the same as yesterday: Guards flanking us as we approached, ministers and maids standing on either side of the throne and the king sitting as regal as ever upon the throne. But that was it in terms of similarities, there were some notable differences. For example, the mood seemed very different today. Instead of the curiosity of yesterday, today seemed to carry with it a feeling of hope and anticipation, as if things were finally starting to turn around. And of course, the most noticeable difference were the multiple figures standing in front of the throne, a quick count added up to there being twelve of them. And no two of them looked alike, a mix of both genders and various classes, ranging from those in heavy armour wielding broadswords and axes to those clad in cloaks and carrying nothing but a staff. Heck, there were even those clad in light armour carrying knives. It seemed as though the King had gone all out because if this were World of Warcraft I would say that we had all roles covered and a good mix of classes including warriors, rogues, hunters, mages, priests and maybe other casters depending on the extent of magic in this world. As we approached them all, the King spoke up.

"Good morning to you Heroes, I hope you have rested well and enjoyed last night's fare. As I said yesterday, I sent summons out to every corner of my realm calling on brave souls to come and fight for you, and gathered before you are those who are willing to fight the Waves alongside each of you."

As he was saying this, myself and each of the others looked across the line, appraising each of the figures lined up before us. "_So these are what passes for adventurers in this world._" I thought to myself. "_They seem geared enough, and I'm sure each adequately skilled, otherwise I doubt the King would have brought them here._" I looked at each of their expressions in turn, all of them were keeping their emotions locked down and their faces neutral, except for one of the females in the line, who looked as though she was trying to catch my eye. As my glance swept past her, she smiled at me and gave a small chuckle. "_Focus Fergus!" _I mentally bashed myself as I continued down the line. "_Remember the conclusion you came to last night, don't let yourself get distracted by a pretty face._" So I didn't react in response, keeping my own face neutral as I continued down the line. The King then spoke up again, his voice picking up a notch as though he was going to deliver a rousing battlefield speech.

"Legendary Heroes and future champions, it is time to start your adventure! Champions, stand behind the hero you have chosen to fight alongside!"

Well, that's fair enough I suppose, we couldn't exactly force someone to fight alongside one of us against their will and have them resent us later. At least this way it would ensure that the champions would follow us loyally and fight for us with everything they had. As the adventurers approached us, I kept my expression neutral. As they walked behind us and started forming lines behind us, I kept my gaze squarely on the King. This was it, this was going to be my first opportunity to see if my fears last night were either going to be proven right or unfounded altogether. And the lines that formed were as follows: Ren had a party of five standing behind him, four were gathered behind Motoyasu and three had chosen to follow Itsuki. Now if any of you are good at maths, do you realise what that meant? Yup, the number of people gathered behind me was a big fat zero. And as this happened, I got my first clue as to the agenda going on here.

As I watched the King, his gaze swept behind us to the lines that had formed, and there was no mistake about it, his initial gaze was ecstatic, a wide smile on his face as though this couldn't have gone better for him. No, as if he had expected this to happen! My fears were confirmed in regards to this occurrence, there was some bias going on against me here, and everybody was in on it! Well, everyone except the other three Heroes, but even they didn't seem so surprised. But then again, this was a familiar experience for them from what I gathered last night, so they were off the hook for now. But was not the time to make far-fetched accusations, now was the time to adjust. I thought carefully about my next words as the King addressed us again, his expression had now turned into one of concern, although now I was convinced this was an act more than anything:

"Hmm, now this was an outcome I was not expecting."

"_Liar, you knew this was going to happen! It was written all across your face!_" I mentally yelled out but I kept my expression neutral, arms folded as he continued. "It would seem no-one is willing to ally with you Shield-Hero." There was no mistaking his tone as he said the words 'Shield-Hero', as though it left a bad taste in his mouth. Silence enveloped the room after this, no-one spoke up against me or in my defence, as though waiting for me to make the next move. Even the others seemed curious as to what I would do next. I decided it was time to play an all-or-nothing move, or in poker terms, this would be going all-in. I let out a breath and then spoke up.

"I cannot lie that I am disappointed by this outcome, but at the same time, I will not complain. It would not be honourable of me to try and appeal to everyone here and change their minds when their hearts are set on who to follow. As such, I will accept what has transpired here, even though it will mean a harder road for me. Make no mistake though, I fully intend to carry out my purpose here. I will get stronger and I will fight these Waves alongside my fellow Heroes, even if I have to fight all day and all night for the next thirty days to do so! I WILL be the hero you asked for!" With every word that I spoke, my voice became harder, more confident and each following word was spoken with more conviction than the last, and as such, by the end of my speech my head was held high, my expression was defiant, the hand holding my Shield firmly clenched over my heart and my words were coming out in a shout that wasn't angry or upset, but instead was laced with the confidence and determination that was filling my heart and soul at that very moment.

The mood following my speech was one of shock and disbelief, everyone was looking at me with open mouths and wide-eyed expressions. This was probably the last thing they expected! And that was exactly what I was after. "_Good._" I thought to myself with satisfaction. "_Even if their bias doesn't fade after that, at least they will know that I will not roll over or be cowed by what they have planned_." The king seemed to recover first, although the surprise was still evident on his face as he responded: "Admirable speech Shield-Hero. But admirable words are nothing unless you back them up with action. Are you honestly prepared to do such? To adventure and improve your level on your own whilst knowing it will be a long and hard journey?"

I could tell he was testing my resolve, trying to probe me for any signs of weakness. I gave him none, staring back with the same defiant expression as before as if daring him to call me out and admit his true feelings, and as such, I responded back calmly. "Absolutely. On that, and every word I speak hereafter, you have my word. I would never lie to myself or anyone else just to make my life easier. I am resolved on this, Your Majesty." As I finished, I could tell everyone was still surprised at my speech and my following act of resolve. I stepped back in line with the other three, each of them giving me looks as though they were silently asking "_What the hell man? Are you out of your mind?_" I gave them all a nod and a wink, seeking to reassure them that I knew what I was doing. After taking a few seconds to recompose himself, the King then addressed us one more time. "Very well then, if everyone is satisfied with this, let's move on to-"

"Hold on a moment, your Majesty." A voice called out from behind us, interrupting what the King was about to say. My neutral expression gave way to one of surprise, an expression mirrored on the faces of the other Heroes as we turned around to look at who spoke up. The person in question was stepping out of the line that had formed behind Motoyasu and was now walking up towards us, hand raised to get everyone's attention "I would like to join the Shield-Hero's party."

I'm surprised that no-one here has had a heart attack or a nervous breakdown due to the number of surprises that have been thrown at them today, this merely being the latest in an expanding sequence of them. The figure approaching us was the same girl who had tried to catch my eye during their introduction. Her figure was an alluring one, but one which also screamed the words 'manipulative' and 'self-serving' to those of a more suspicious persuasion. She sported red hair that cascaded all around her neck and which was adorned by various pearls, a purple collar to which was attached a small red ornament, and was clad in brown leather armour and a pink skirt, to which was attached a sword on her left side. I glanced over at Motoyasu quizzically, and he met my gaze with an equally as confused look.

"_Whilst I was more than prepared to go out alone, no matter how much of a grind that promised to be, this is a welcome turn of events._" I thought to myself. "_However, this can't be a mere coincidence, the same person who tried to catch my eye before all this_ _now suddenly wants to join me, even though she initially chose to join Motoyasu's party? I'll have to tread carefully, I can't act too suspicious otherwise people will start questioning me. However, I can't let my guard down either, because this is all adding up far too conveniently. So let's play nice for now and go from there._" Pushing these thoughts aside, I smiled appreciatively as she approached. "Ma'am, whilst I was more than resolved to undergo my journey alone, your offer of help is greatly appreciated. Although, and forgive my rudeness for asking such after your kind offer, but you had already decided what party to join. What made you change your mind?" I asked politely.

My question seemed to throw her for a second as if she wasn't expecting me to respond that way, but to her credit, she composed herself and responded in turn. "Nothing to forgive Sir Hero, it is an honest question from an honest individual. And yes, whilst my intention was to journey alongside Sir Motoyasu at first, your speech and your actions just now are one of the most inspiring things I have ever witnessed. You spoke clearly and with great passion, and your expression did not falter, showing you to be an honest man of great conviction, qualities I admire in a Hero. I would consider it a great honour to be able to travel and fight alongside a great man such as yourself."

"_She barely knows me, and yet she's flattering me as I'm the greatest thing walking this Earth. My speech was good but not that good, and to my mind shouldn't have swayed anyone so dramatically. Red flag right there but a believable course of events. Besides, an offer of help like this would be stupid to turn down, regardless of how I feel." _Careful not to betray my inner thoughts, I respectfully inclined my head in her direction and responded appropriately. "You flatter me, ma'am, I am unworthy of your praise. However, only a fool would refuse such a generous offer, and you would not have approached me if you thought I was such." For a brief second, I thought I saw her expression shift a little but passed it off as my imagination as I continued. "However, it is only proper that we address this with the other party leader involved." As I said this, I turned to Motoyasu, who I noted with amusement had a completely dazed expression, as if he couldn't quite believe everything that was happening around us. Sadly for him, I was about to add to that. "Motoyasu, the lady here has expressed her desire to join my party, and I am fully prepared to accept her offer. However, you are the one losing a party member at this time so this concerns you too. Is this alright with you?"

Motoyasu looked completely stumped by my request, as though his brain still couldn't process what was happening at this moment of time. From behind him, I caught a glance at the other two Heroes' faces. Ren looked as nonplussed and bored as ever, seriously does this guy even have another mood besides bored or pissed off? As for Itsuki, he looked as though he was barely able to hold himself together in regards to Motoyasu's current state. After what felt like an eternity, Motoyasu had finally recovered enough to respond, and it was towards the girl that he directed his question. "Are you sure this is what you want?" It was a harmless request, and non-accusatory at all, and the girl responded with an eager nod. Motoyasu then said to the both of us "If this is fine for both for you, then I guess I have no choice but to go along with it also." Smiling and bowing courteously, I then turned back to her and said. "Very well then, I accept your generous offer and look forward to travelling and fighting alongside you Miss…?

"Myne Sophia, Sir Hero, although you can just call my Myne."

I smiled back at her appreciatively "Thank you again Myne. My name, as you already know, is Fergus Ward. But you can just call me Fergus." She nodded in return and moved to stand beside me as we all turned back round to face the King, who had remained silent as this all played out in front of him. Seeing that we were finished, the King moved to carry on with what he had been about to say before Myne interrupted. "As I was about to say, let us now move on now to the last matter at hand." He then went explained at how each month we'd each be given some funds in order to purchase equipment, supplies and pay for food and board if we were staying anywhere. Initially, the King offered me 800 silver and the rest 600 due to myself having fewer party members.

However, this seemed unfair to me so I spoke up one more time, which earned me another disapproving look from the King, not that I cared. I explained that because the other Heroes had more party members, they would be spending more than myself to provide for each party member, whereas I only had to provide for myself and Myne so would overall be spending less. Myne gave me a curious look as I explained this, as though she couldn't understand why I didn't just accept the higher amount of funds, but I ignored it. It took some convincing, but in the end, the funds were split as follows: Ren received 750 silver due him having the most party members, Motoyasu and Itsuki each received 625 silver, and I was given 500 silver. Yes, it was 300 less than the original offer, but with enough grinding and by selling materials we would be sure to gather, I felt it should be more than enough to cover myself and Myne for the next 30 days. With that business concluded, and the funds divided up appropriately, the King spoke one final time. "Use these funds to procure all the necessary supplies and set forth on your journey. Go well, Heroes!" At this everyone stood at attention, bowed appropriately and called out "Yes sir!" in response before turning to leave the throne room to start making preparations for the journey ahead.

§

As we left the throne room and proceeded out of the palace into the open air, the other three heroes and I all bid farewell to one another as we would now be going our separate ways in order to grow stronger. It was highly unlikely we would all see each other again before the next Wave, so I wished them all the best of luck on their respective journeys. As they left, I turned my own thoughts as to what our first objective should be. I needed to test out my Shield and get used to it and figure out its abilities, and I also needed to see Myne's skills in action and then figure out how we should operate as a team.

But that was all moot compared to the most pressing matter at hand, I thought to myself as I looked down at my attire. For some reason, I highly doubted my casual clothing, currently consisting of a black sports hoodie, a few shirts underneath, a pair of brown cargo pants and white trainers, would offer me great protection against the mobs in this world, and so I would need to outfit myself accordingly. Which would mean needing to find a store which specialised in weapons and armour. Seeing as I had no idea where any of those stores were located, I turned to my best potential source for that information, who was currently watching Motoyasu's party as they left. I strode past her slightly, making sure to catch her eye. And when I did so and as she turned to face me, I made my request as politely yet firmly as I could. "Right then Myne, it's time for us to get to work as well." I started, noting her slight look of surprise at how blunt and straight to the point I was being, but I continued as though I had seen nothing. "First things first, I need to outfit myself with the right equipment as what I'm wearing right now is unsuitable for our needs. Do you of any places that could provide us with what we need?"

Myne thought to herself before her expression brightened. Clapping her hands she exclaimed. "I know just the place we need! The equipment there is of good quality and should be well within our price range. I know the man who runs it, he's an honest and helpful man and I trust him. Will that suffice, Sir Fergus?" I let out a small chuckle at that, so formal! "Please, just call me Fergus." I responded, "and that sounds absolutely perfect for our needs, thank you Myne. Also, if it's not too much of a hassle, would you mind giving me a quick rundown on all the locations and shops we pass by on our way there? It would be very handy to know where everything is." "Of course Fergus!" She responded enthusiastically. "Let's be on our way then!" With those words, she took the lead and started heading towards town. I followed on a few paces behind.

Just like the architecture, the hustle and bustle of the inhabitants reminded me of civilizations of the not-too-distant past, with people walking up and down the paved streets, and every so often stopping at various stalls and shops that flanked them and browsing their wares. It looked as though it was currently market day, although it could very well be this was how it looked all the time. As Myne and I headed down the various streets, and as she pointed out various useful stalls, stores and locations, I studied the inhabitants keenly. They seemed to be content enough, there didn't seem to be any hint or rumblings of discontent. No, it looked as though people did pretty well here, there were no signs of beggars or emaciated-looking people, which all pointed towards people having a good life here and were looked after in turn. Despite all my suspicions as to his character, the King was obviously a skilled ruler of his people.

Yet as we walked, suspicions of a different sort started popping up in my mind. The cause of this was people's expressions as they turned to look at me as we passed by. I was expecting curiosity at the very least but instead, all I kept getting were very weird looks, as though the inhabitants didn't care about or think much of me. "_Odd._" I thought to myself. "_Just like in the palace, people are already looking at me as if I'm some sort of pest or criminal. This is troubling, could this whole world wary of me? And if so, and most importantly, why is this the case?_" My troubled thoughts must have darkened my expression, as Myne glanced back at me and asked if anything was the matter. I forced myself to control my thoughts and gave her a small smile, telling her not to worry as we carried on to the place she recommended

§

Myne eventually led us to the armoury she had recommended, and as we opened the door and stepped inside, I couldn't help but let out a whistle of appreciation at what I saw. This store was packed with a great assortment of weapons and armour of all types, with the weapons ranging from daggers to two-handed broadswords and even a few bows and crossbows, and the armour ranging from cloaks and padded leather outfits to full-body armour that you'd find equipped by a high-ranking knight of the realm. There were also stocks of supplies including sleeping bags, various tools of all shapes and sizes, small vials of potions as well as many other things that wouldn't be out of place in a camping shop. I made a mental note to pick up some of those later as myself and Myne made our way towards the table at the back, and were soon joined there by the store's owner, a bald man who sported a small black beard and was clad in a shirt and apron, who came out of the back as soon as he heard us come in. "Welcome to my store." The man welcomed us with a gentle yet firm tone. "How may I be of assistance?"

I took the lead, laying my hands on the table and meeting his stare as I responded. "Hello there. My name is Fergus, and this is my companion Myne. I'm heading out of the city for a while to get stronger and find myself in need of some equipment. My companion told me this was the best place in town to do such. Are you able to help us out?" After a momentary silence, he let out a chuckle and responded in an amused tone. "Your friend here has a good eye and good taste, and she's right, no-one around here sells as good equipment as me. Provided you have the funds, I think we can get your sorted. What were you thinking?"

I had already given this a lot of thought and decided that I would need a mix of defence and agility. I would be relying on my Shield mostly for defending myself, but if by chance I was forced to use it offensively or found myself compromised and not able to use it, I needed some form of protection without restricting my movement too much so that I could remain mobile in the heat of a fight. That would mean a small breastplate to protect my chest and the vital organs beneath it. I would also need metal gauntlets, both to protect my hands and give myself an alternate means of causing damage, but again not too heavy in order to keep my limbs flexible. I then thought about the rest of my body, and had decided on whatever passed for toughened leather in these parts, so as to give myself some protection but would mean I could move around a lot faster. The battle strategy I had planned for myself so far was what I would call an Agile Defence form, using agility and speed to avoid attacks wherever possible as well as get to where I needed to be in the battle if I was playing a Defensive role, and take blows and attacks on my Shield and gauntlets before counter-attacking with a solid blow from my Shield followed up by hand strikes, which would be augmented and pack more force if they were made from a solid metal. I explained what I required to both the store owner and Myne. Myne seemed somewhat surprised that I had already thought so far ahead, whilst the owner looked me up and down with an approving expression. As I finished, he grinned widely.

"You seem to know exactly what you require, and I can see us getting on well in the future if this is how we're doing business." I chuckled back at him as he said this, responding. "It helps to be on good terms with the guy in whose hands I'm pretty much putting my life in. Plus, I'm a stranger to these parts, I could always use a friend or two." He proceeded to roar with laughter. "Oh, I think we're going to get along famously!" He exclaimed merrily. "Right then, let's get down to business, I have a few ideas about what materials we can use…"

Over the next few hours, and with Myne either watching dumbfounded or browsing the store, we were able to sort out a full range of equipment for me which both myself and the owner were satisfied with. Deciding that most of what I was wearing wouldn't be suitable, the owner instead used them to measure out the size of the equipment I needed. I kept the t-shirt I was wearing as an under-layer for warmth and familiarity, and on top of that, I wore a brown long-sleeved vest that was made out of, interestingly enough, porcupine leather! Looks like porcupines were a critter in this world as well! The last layer on top was a breastplate that covered the centre and a good portion of my chest which was made out of sturdy iron and secured by a sturdy clasp that wrapped itself all the way around my chest. My shoulders were covered in sturdy leather pauldrons that reached partway down my arms, and attached to my wrists were gauntlets made of solid iron which encompassed every inch of my hands and fingers. Moving further downward, my pants were made of the same leather as my vest, and attached to my ankles were ankle-guards made out of copper, and finally, the boots we chose were made of boar hide. To complete my look, I wore a solid black cloak that encompassed my whole body from the base of my neck down to my feet, and had a shade of grey along the base and finished off with a hood which would be helpful to conceal my identity should I need it. As we finished, the owner, whose name I gathered was Elhart, gave my gear a once over and nodded approvingly. "That's some good work we've done there, a good mix of defence, agility and some power in those gauntlets. It should serve you well." As we sorted out payment, which came to a total of 175 silver, a notification appeared in my field of view, showing that I had received and equipped a new set of armour. In what I'm sure was sheer coincidence, the set was named [Armour of Agile Defence] with a Physical Defence rating of 18 and Magic Defence rating of 15 and weight of 10.

As we wrapped up our business, Myne came over and decided to give my armour a once-over herself, frowning a little as she looked back at me. "Are you sure this will be enough? It doesn't seem very solid." I smiled in response. "I appreciate your concern Myne, but that was the idea. I need to be able to move to provide defence for my allies as well as to fight when needed. " An awkward silence then ensued for the next few seconds as she tried to find points to counter my argument, but after a while, she just sighed. "Fair enough then Fergus, I just hope you know what you are doing." "I hope I know I'm doing as well," I replied, "otherwise I'll be dead." Chuckling at the bemused expression on her face, I then had a perusal of the store, purchasing supplies that would be useful should we find ourselves needing to camp in the outdoors, including a pair of sleeping bags, to which Myne expressed her hope that we wouldn't need them at all. I also purchased a sturdy bag to put all my purchases in, and even after that it still had plenty of space for our funds as well as for any materials we pick up in the field. After we bought these, whilst slinging the pack over my shoulders, I asked Myne if there was anything she required, offering to pay it for myself. She shook her head, saying she had everything she needed. With that, I bid farewell to Elhart as we left the store and proceeded towards the city gates.

Time to test this new armour out!

§

Myne told me that the enemies located just outside the city walls should be perfect for testing out my new gear. They weren't high level and wouldn't cause me any amount of trouble, except for maybe swarming me with numbers should we get unlucky. I responded, with humour lacing my tone, that should that turn out to be the case, I would be relying on her to pull my butt out of the fire. The look on her face was priceless and I couldn't help laughing my head off before calming down and reassuring her that we should be fine. I could tell she was struggling to understand when I was being serious and when I was joking. Truth be told, it's very rare that anyone understands me enough to tell the difference, my sarcasm just slips out naturally.

As we roamed around in the fields, I quickly took notice of three pink icons moving into my field of vision, and they were approaching me at a vast rate of knots. As if she knew what was coming, Myne gave me a reassuring pat on the back and moved to stand at a distance, leaving me to deal with whatever came my way. I bent my knees and waited patiently, mentally preparing myself to move and strike at a moment's notice.

And a moment was all I got, as out of the grass in front of me popped three small balls of pointed teeth. As they flew towards me, a name appeared above their heads, just like it would in World of Warcraft or any other MMORPG. These monsters were called Orange Balloons, and from the looks of things looked to swarm and overwhelm their foe in packs, bouncing around to confuse and harry them. Unluckily for them, I wasn't just any dumb opponent, and the encounter barely lasted a few seconds. As the first one approached, I lowered my shield in front of my face, right into its trajectory, and at full pelt, the Balloon crashed right into it. As it impacted, I twisted my arm to the right, directing the dazed mob away from me as I brought my left arm forward, fist flying as the second tried to come in from my right-hand side in hopes my Shield would obstruct my point of view. It didn't, and with a satisfying POP the second balloon burst, unable to withstand the impact from my iron-plated gauntlet. Awesome! Whilst my damage output would still be low, these gauntlets could still pack a punch if needed. With my arms still re-adjusting, the third one went right for me but I was able to nimbly leap to the left out of its path, and as it arced round to come back at me, I spun around, took a running leap at it and swung my left fist, again causing it to burst. I then turned back to the last one, which was still slightly dazed and moving sluggishly. That enabled me to just simply grab it with the right hand, toss it up like I was serving in a game of tennis, then as it came back down, launch my left fist at it. One more time, one more POP!

As I finished off the last one, some information floated across my field of vision, telling me that I had earned six experience points from killing these mobs. Noticing that the mobs had left behind some orange strips after they had burst, I decided to pick them up, thinking they could be useful for something, or if not I could sell them in town later. As I turned around, a satisfied smile on my face, I caught sight of Myne's expression, and once again lost myself in a fit of laughter.

She had seen everything and was standing there completely open-mouthed as if she couldn't believe what she had just seen. She must have been thinking along the lines of most of the people I had run into so far, that the Shield Hero would lack any offensive capability and would struggle to fend off even the most basic monsters. Looks like she and everyone else would have to watch out, I was planning to tear those expectations to ashes!

I gave her a cheeky grin, cocked my head towards the fields in the distance and called out. "No slacking off Myne! Remember, I'm relying on you to get me out of trouble!" As I turned around and started to head off to find more mobs, I sniggered to myself as I heard her sigh and move up behind me.

"_She probably has no idea how to respond to me right now_," I thought to myself. "_I'm certainly blowing all her expectations of me out of the water. And yet she still hasn't done anything too suspicious, nor have I given her any reason to suspect that I might be wary of her. Best keep it that way, it's still to soon to let my guard down._"

§

Over the hour or two that passed until the sun went down, I kept grinding and smashing my way through the Balloon mobs, picking up lots of valuable experience points and perfecting the fighting style that had dispatched my first three enemies. Whilst doing this, I also learned the first unique skill that came with my Legendary Weapon by allowing the Shield to absorb the remains of the Balloons I defeated. It turns out that after absorbing a certain amount of monster loot, materials or items the Shield would unlock a new form. As I was discovering this I marvelled at the number of possible shields that branched out from the original, looks like I was going to have to do some serious grinding, discovering and other means to find all the possible Shield forms! Another benefit was that with each Shield came the chance to either unlock a new skill, permanently boost one of my stats or even provide a boost to certain professions.

My discovery of professions was a welcoming sight, as I was very familiar with such from World of Warcraft and figured that the system would work pretty much the same here. So far, because I had only been fighting Balloons, the Shields I had unlocked were the Yellow Small Shield, the Orange Small Shield and the Red Small Shield, which after reaching a certain level of proficiency would grant me permanent boosts to my Defence stat, which I would never complain about.

I also took this opportunity to observe Myne's fighting skills. Looks like the sword wasn't just for show, she was fairly handy with it, easily dispatching foes that I was missing or came up on my blind-side. Between my blunt defence and punching power as well as her blade, it seemed like we could make a solid team as we gained more experience fighting alongside each other.

But that would be for another time. Having picked up on Myne's reluctance to sleep outdoors, I agreed to pay for food and a few rooms at one of the inns back in town. On our way there I sold a few of the Balloon strips I had picked up, keeping a few spare in case I needed them for more Absorption. Once we reached the inn and found ourselves a table, we ordered some food which not long after was served to us. As we dug in, I found myself really enjoying the taste. Seems no matter what reality you were in, tasty food was tasty food!

Whilst enjoying our meal, I pulled out a map of the surrounding area that I had picked up as we were leaving town and laid it out between us. Myne then pointed out where we had fought today and suggested a few ideas as to where we should head next. Her recommendation was that we headed to Lafan Village, which was beyond the borders of the map I currently possessed, in order to access an entry-level dungeon which would be perfect for a low-level adventurer. I nodded in agreement as I continued to chew on my meal, it did make perfect sense. After all, I couldn't keep hitting Balloons forever if I wanted to get stronger, I needed to test my skills on different varieties of mobs.

After a short while discussing, Myne reached for her wine glass and extended it towards me as if to exchange a toast. This was before she noticed that beside my plate wasn't wine, but instead a small glass of water. A curious expression formed upon her brow as she asked me. "Why didn't you order a glass of wine? I figured it would satisfy you most after your strenuous activities today."

I reach forward and picked up my glass of water, swirling it around as I matched her gaze evenly. "The truth is that I do not drink Myne. I hope that it's not going to be a problem?" I asked her, keeping my eyes matched with hers, seeing if she would probe further. And probe she did, I did not miss the seductive expression that developed on her face as she downed her glass, before leaning in towards me, licking her lips as if on the hunt for worthy prey. "Are you sure I can't persuade you? The wine here is pretty good you know. Besides, this country is a matriarchy, and it is considered impolite by some for a man to turn down a drink offered to him by a woman."

Well, this was some handy information that could come in useful! And also raised another question that I would need to find out the answers to. If this was a female-dominated society, then surely the Queen would be the chief ruler of the realm, and if that was the case, why was she absent at such a seemingly historic event such as the Summoning of the Four Legendary Heroes? And how much power did the King really have? Was it equal or less? Things I would have to find out at a later date. First I had to deal with Myne. Judging by her body language and tone, she obviously wanted me to partake in a drink. But why was she being so damn insistent on it? Did she want me to get drunk? I could certainly believe the custom that a man should not refuse a drink from a woman, but this to me was stretching that bit just a little too far for my liking. Time to see how far she was willing to go.

I took my glass of water and lowered my head forward and downward, matching her seductive stare with a very serious glance, eyes locked on hers as I started speaking in a quiet yet serious tone. "There is a very good reason why I choose not to partake, and I am only going to say this once so pay attention. I have seen what too much alcohol does to people. For example, I have witnessed people become seriously unwell due to imbibing too much. I have seen what happens when people lose their inhibitions due to the influence of too much alcohol, and the mistakes they make because of it. I have seen families torn apart or broken up due to effects of alcohol, whether it is because of violence, adultery, or any other indecent act that the affected would not do unless under the influence. And I have zero wish to end up in any of those positions, whether it be in a hospital bed, or prison, or a bed of a random girl I have never met before, or out on the street with torn clothes and no place to stay because I have upset the wrong people, just because I drank too much of the wrong substance. THOSE are the reasons I don't drink Myne. And I apologise if that breaks any customs, but I will not apologise for my honesty and my values. If that is going to be a problem, I'd rather know now before it becomes an issue before us."

You could cut the tension and silence between us with a knife after my statement. I was laying all my cards on the table, letting Myne know that I was not going to compromise my values and my beliefs for the sake of custom. This was also her first proper test, to see if she really was planning something that would confirm my suspicions about the behaviour of this world's inhabitants. I did give her some credit, she instantly lost the seductive expression as I was talking, realising I was being deadly serious. We kept our gazes locked for a long while, neither of us backing down an inch for a long time. After what felt like an eternity, it was Myne who broke first, leaning back in her chair and looking at as if she was re-appraising her viewpoint on me. "You certainly do have a way with words. Very well, I won't press this any more if that's how you see things." She finally said wearily.

I leaned back as well as I finished the glass of water I had been drinking throughout the meal. I chose my next words very carefully. "Thank you for understanding. Just so you are aware, I do not try to be intimidating or mean any offence when I speak as I did just now. I just much prefer to be straight to the point when discussing or arguing things, and I'm not a fan of dancing around or avoiding arguments and debates when they need to be had. I do not expect you to agree or understand the way I see and do certain things, but just know there is a very good reason why."

As I finished saying this, I pushed my chair back and rose out of it, aware that Myne was still watching me curiously, as if she were expecting me to carry on a bit more. But she was going to be disappointed in that regard. "It's been a long day and I'm tired, so I hope you don't mind if I turn in early?" She shook her head, indicating she wouldn't. Deciding not to end things on a bad note, I left her by saying the following. "Oh and Myne? Thank you again for choosing to party up with me. I know I was resolved to go alone after what transpired, but truthfully I feel much better knowing you have my back. I think we're going to be a great team." She smiled and nodded in response, and as I turned around and head upstairs to find my room, I completely missed the smirk that appeared across her face…

§

As I entered the room that I was to sleep in tonight, I made sure to turn around and shut it tightly, and then proceeded to slide the table in there so that it partially blocked the door. Call me paranoid if you want, but as it was my first night in an unfamiliar setting, I wasn't taking any chances with people trying to break in and steal my stuff.

After doing so, I pulled up a chair by the window and contemplated what had happened that day. If anything, today had only heightened my suspicions that there was some sort of bias against me, and that was just by the way the King acted, how Myne waited until the last possible moment before deciding to join my party (I still wasn't fully convinced my speech was the deciding factor), and the way the townspeople were looking at me as I passed them by. Yet there didn't seem to be any obvious reason for it, and I had no concrete evidence that was the case, only my own suspicions.

In regards to Myne, I was still on the fence about her. She did seem genuinely eager to help out, but there were times today where I noticed she hadn't exactly been happy with that way I did things, such as the way I handled the distribution of our loans and the quality of the armour I chose. And then there was the encounter just now which, whilst we had resolved that without argument, had me question what her true intentions were. Was she really up to something? If so, she wasn't being too obvious so far, but the way she had first approached it was easily the most suspicious thing she had done today. I'd just have to see how we got on the next few days.

After spending a while contemplating these thoughts, I decided to further examine my status screen and go through all the information, seeing if there was anything else I could pick up or find out with a thorough examination. It was whilst I was doing such that my tiredness caught up with me and I ended up unwittingly falling asleep in the chair facing the window and fully clothed.

**And that's where we are ending things here. By the time you read this, I will have written chapter 3 as well, and you know what's coming there! I cannot wait to start writing it, and I have plenty of ideas for how it's going to go!**

**I hope you can see the way Fergus operates. He does have a sarcastic nature but is generally nice and polite if you are on his good side. He is someone who feels very strongly about his ideals and values and will not hesitate to go toe-to-toe if you question them in any way. Next chapter, you will see how he reacts when people get on his bad side and when people disrespect him**

**Again, thank you for reading and enjoying this story. Really appreciated. This is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, see you in the next chapter! **


	4. Ch 3 - No More Mr Nice Shield-Hero

**I am in a hype mood writing this because my football team Manchester United are working miracles and the latest episode of the anime was awesome! +1 kick to Motoyasu****'s privates!**

**Thank you again for the wait everyone. I had so much fun writing this chapter and I hope it reflects in the story I****'m trying to tell. As before I want to point everyone to two other stories based on Rising of the Shield Hero that I am enjoying reading: ChsisAnialation's "Fear of the Kingdom" and my buddy zinmaster24's "From Soldier to Hero"**

**I was going to answer all the reviews from the last chapter but that would take up too much space so I'm going to address a reviewer for both chapters, an individual by the name of najex**

**First off, thank you very much for the feedback, it is always appreciated whether it's complimentary or critical. And NEVER apologise for being critical, if anything we need more criticism because it helps us improve our writing style and technique. And I did take a step back and think through what you were saying**

**I will admit, I am indulging myself in my ideal scenario a bit too much, that Fergus won't fall for Myne's manipulations to the point it gets unrealistic in terms of a person's character. I acknowledge that. I just wanted to put another spin of things and I tried to do that as best as I could. But again, if it comes off too unrealistic and Fergus being too perfect, I do apologise. I will do what I can to lay down three key aspects of Fergus' character that might help clear up things:**

**1) Fergus is not one to immediately trust. Yes, that makes him a bit paranoid but he would rather that than being fooled or manipulated if things go bad. He can grow to trust someone after a while, but it's just the initial stages where he is careful, especially as this is a strange world and he knows no-one. And this carefulness also extends to point 2, observation**

**2) Fergus is very observant. He has learnt over time to read people's faces, tones, expressions, all that stuff from real-life experiences. He came to his own conclusion in life not to immediately trust someone but study them without giving himself away and try to understand them**

**3) Fergus' opinion of you depends on how you treat him and your responses to how he treats you. If he comes to trust you, he will stand up for you and stick by you with fierce loyalty. If you display stupidity or obvious ignorance, he will call you out on it and it'll take a lot of work on your part to get back in his good graces. If you treat him with undeserved disrespect or malice, he will do everything in his power to make sure that karma is visited upon you and you get what you deserve, and if you threaten his friends or people he cares about, be very warned, because he will do anything to protect those he cares about. ANYTHING.**

**I hope that helps clear things up a little because if I go on this note will last longer than the story, but thank you especially for your advice about spacing between conversations and my character's thoughts being too long in relation to the scene playing out. It helped make things a lot tidier for me and hopefully for you all reading**

**And thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and followed my story, I am so touched that people are taking time out to read my drabble! Now that that's out of the way, on to the highly anticipated third chapter which I had so much fun writing! As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward**

Chapter 3 - No More Mr Nice Shield-Hero

*BAM! BAM!* "Open up right now Shield-Hero!" I jolted awake at these sounds, slowly yawning and stretching my limbs out, noticing I had fallen asleep in the same chair I'd been sitting in last night. "_Not an ideal place to sleep but better than outside_._" _I thought to myself.

*BAM! BAM!* The sounds of the door being pounded on occurred again.

"Alright alright, I'm coming, chill out!" I called out irritably as I stood up, making sure all my limbs were working and that all my gear was in place. With a sigh betraying my irritation, I proceeded to move the table I'd used to block the door out of the way before opening up to reveal a squad of soldiers, all armed and not looking too happy.

Noticing this, I decided to try and play it politely at first. "Can I help you all?" Barely able to keep the sarcasm out of my voice

"Fergus Ward, also know as the Shield-Hero, you are under arrest under the accusation of sexual assault!" One of the guards barked out.

At this my eyes narrowed, THIS was why I was being woken up so early? A rape accusation? Something was up here and I was going to get some damn answers!

I replied back acidly "I'm sorry, I must still be slightly asleep because I'm sure I misheard you. You are accusing me of rape?"

Another of the guards must have had a death wish at this point as he came up and sneered at me, saying. "That's right *Hero*, now are you going to come quietly or do we have to make you?"

I lost my temper at this and lunged forward, grabbing the guard who had just spoken and pushing him up against the wall by the throat, ignoring the swords currently being pointed at me as I spoke up again, my tone angry now. "I have no time for this crap! Tell me who the hell is accusing me!"

Another of the guards spoke up warily, obviously not wanting to escalate the situation any more. "Our orders come from His Majesty. We were told to arrest you and take you to him at once." At this, my eyes narrowed even more, if that were even possible right now.

"_That slippery bastard's made his move then. Well, he's just made a big mistake!_" I thought angrily to myself as I let go of the guard I was currently strangling and proceeded to brush past the rest of the guards, ignoring the storm of protest that followed. I yelled back. "Are you coming or what?"

Not caring if they followed me or not, I stormed out of the inn. As I proceeded towards the palace, I had a lot on my mind. "_If my suspicions are right, then this will be a farce. Even if I provide my side of the tale, they'll still find me guilty. I'll just have to stand my ground as best as I can and go from there._" Another terrible thought then occurred to me. "_I saw no sign of Myne as I left. Could she be behind this? That would explain so much_."

§

Reaching the doors of the throne room, the army of guards still behind me, I took a deep breath, composing myself for the events to come. Then I proceeded to fling open the doors none too gently, surely announcing my presence to everyone there, and started storming up towards the throne, where the usual suspects were gathered. The king on his throne, staring at me angrily as I approached, with his ministers gathered all around him. At the base of the throne and off to one side were Ren and Itsuki, both watching me disapprovingly. And there, at the base of the throne itself, was Motoyasu, spear clenched and a hateful expression on his face, and peeking her head out from behind him…

"_MYNE!"_ I yelled loudly in my head. "_I knew it!_" But I would deal with her shortly, my eyes instead were locked on the King as I spoke for the first time since entering.

"This had better be some sick joke because quite frankly, I am NOT amused right now!" I stated unamused, to which the King fried back venomously.

"Silence criminal scum! How da-!"

I cut across him angrily, not in the mood to take any of his crap. "No, shut up! I have been very rudely awoken from the nice sleep I was having, which I will tell you right now does NOT put me in a good mood. Add to that being falsely accused of one of the worst crimes imaginable, forgive me for NOT being silent right now, because I deserve answers and I am going to get them!"

As I was saying this, I turned to look at Myne, still peeking fearfully out from behind Motoyasu, and addressed her next. "I treated you very well yesterday. Why the hell would you turn around and do this to me?"

It was at these words that Motoyasu decided to butt in angrily. "Leave her alone you bastard! Haven't you already done enough to her?!"

Ren then decided to have his say, looking at me disapprovingly. "I knew you were too good to be true, acting so honourable and decent, and now I see I was right. Beneath what you presented to us you really are without honour, a proper scumbag."

Itsuki then followed up by saying. "Just because you're one of the Heroes doesn't mean you are above the law, but obviously you don't care and think you can do whatever you want. You don't deserve the title of Hero."

"_BASTARDS!_" I thought angrily to myself. "_They are actually believing all this! And after I gave them the benefit of the doubt!_" Not backing down an inch, I waved a hand dismissively in their direction before saying with barely concealed disdain. "Ignoring the remarks from the peanut gallery, my point still stands. I have been falsely accused and as such, I deserve to know what exactly I am being accused of!"

In the silence that followed, Myne spoke up in a timid tone, cracking her voice at points to generate sympathy. "Even though he told he didn't drink he…he came upstairs in a very drunk state. I asked him if he was okay and…without a word he grabbed me forcefully, dragged me into his room and…and…and then forced me on the bed and ripped my dress off…I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't…I was able to get free before he violated me and ran…leaving my dress behind…"

As Myne finished her tale, wiping away crocodile tears and gripping harder to Motoyasu's cloak, a guard came up and, kneeling before the throne, offered up a dress saying. "We found this in the Shield-Hero's room after we apprehended him."

"_Sneaky sods!_" I thought to myself. "_They've set me up perfectly! But I'm not going down easy!_" Clearing my throat, I let out a mock round of applause and said. "Wow, what a damning testimony. Such a shame it has so many holes. The first big hole in your story, if I was as drunk as you said I was, I would be in much worse a state than I am right now. Instead of being alert, sharp and standing up straight, I'd be hunched over, claiming a headache and slurring my words. Second, I made it VERY clear to you why I don't drink, one of which being to avoid the situation you claim to have happened. So how freaking dare you call me a liar in that regard! Third and final big hole in your argument, claiming to have found the dress in my room. There's absolutely zero way it could have gotten in there, seeing how as I had barred the room all night and only opened it up when the guards came knocking. So unless it appeared by magic, it couldn't have been there!"

Gasps and murmurs of anger came from all around the room as I said this, but I did not let up. I had to capitalise on the silence to tell my side of the tale. "After starting out our adventure yesterday, Myne and I shared dinner at the inn. After sorting out our plans for the next day and my explaining why I didn't drink, I went upstairs to the room and barred it with the desk, not wanting anyone to come in to try and rob me. Whilst sitting by the window and looking through my Status screen, I fell asleep and didn't wake up until those guards came to arrest me. THAT is what happened last night, whether you choose to believe it or not."

After finishing my side of the story, I waited for the inevitable explosion that would follow. I wasn't let down, and predictably, it was Motoyasu who broke the silence.

"You filthy, raping bastard! How dare you accuse a broken, innocent girl of lying! Have you absolutely no shame?!" He yelled, spittle flying out of his mouth.

I glared at him and shot back. "Isn't it funny how, even after I tore her false story to shreds with solid proof and told my side of the story, you instantly defend her and accuse me of lying? I was right about you from the start, you think with your balls more than your brain, and from the looks of it, you have a tiny one of each!"

At these words, Motoyasu's face contorted with anger. Letting out a wild yell, he made to attack me but was held back by a combination of Myne and the guards. As they tried to calm Motoyasu down, that gave me a few seconds to evaluate the situation. Or I would have been able to if Ren hadn't decided to butt in at that moment.

"Are you taking any of this seriously? You are being accused of rape and you are making cracks at everyone. What kind of person are you?"

Oh I was not having that! Time to fire back with some absolute truth. "You are accusing ME of not taking this seriously? You of all people!" I fired back angrily. "You three have been treating this entire experience like a game ever since we first got summoned here! Well sorry to burst your bubble, but this isn't a game! If you die, there won't be any respawn timer, that'll be it. Every injury, every broken bone, every drop of sweat and blood you shed, it's all real damnit! So for you to say I'm not taking this seriously makes you the biggest hypocrite of all! And believe it or not, I am taking this very seriously, just like I've done ever since I first came here, and probably more so than anyone else in this room right now!"

That shut him up right there as I quickly assessed the situation. This situation was all too familiar to me, and unfortunately for me, I knew this was going to end badly. Just like my world, this seemed to be a society without due process, one where lives are destroyed over rumours and accusations and where people are tried, convicted, and punished in the court of public opinion, just like was happening here. I was going to be found guilty, no matter what happened.

My suspicions were confirmed by the next performance in this comedy fest, starring the King himself, who covered his face with his palm and spoke with obviously false sadness. "To think that the Shield Hero we summoned world turn out to be a raping, dishonourable criminal scumbag…"

It was at this point that my frustration at the King's obvious attempts to hide his true feelings boiled over, and as such I called out mockingly. "Cut the crap Your Majesty."

As everyone gasped at what I had just said, I pressed on mercilessly. "Seeing as we're getting things out in the open, why don't you start being truthful with yourself, because I am sick and tired of having to see through all your false expressions and words!"

Itsuki then spoke up, rebuking me by saying. "Quit being so disrespectful Fergus. Just admit what you've done and accept the consequences already!"

I shot a glare in his direction, responding. "I would never lie to save myself Itsuki, no matter how dire the consequences. Besides, I think everyone here would much rather have everything in the open rather than second-guessing everyone's true intentions." With that, my gaze returned to the King, who had narrowed his eyes again at me, face turning red with quiet rage as I'd exposed him.

"Be very careful what you wish for Fergus." He said quietly but with an undercurrent of quiet rage. "You do not want me as your enemy."

I scoffed at these words and responded back. "You already decided I was your enemy the moment I walked in here! Did you really think I didn't notice everything? Ignoring me as we introduced ourselves. Your expressions of surprise at what I knew. Your joyful expression when no-one joined me. And your frustration every time I interrupted or contradicted you. As you kept trying not to be obvious, you made yourself even more obvious! Only the blind and stupid would have missed them."

At these words, the King gripped the arms of his throne even more tightly, visibly trembling with anger, but I wasn't finished yet. "Seeing as how easily I just saw through everything you have done to me, I would say it is you who doesn't want me as your enemy." Silence radiated through the throne room at these words, the King especially trying to control his anger as I let out a sigh. "Well then, seeing as you have already decided my so-called guilt, what is going to be my *punishment*?" I finished, making air quotes signs with my hands as I said 'punishment'.

The King composed himself as he spoke up again. "In this country, the punishment for physically or sexually assaulting a woman is death."

At this everyone in the room, including the other three Heroes, called out for my execution whilst I continued to glare back at the King, keeping my expression neutral even in the face of death.

The King then raised a hand to silence everyone. "Unfortunately we need all Four Heroes alive to fight the Waves, so execution or imprisonment is out of the question."

At this Motoyasu called out. "Why not just kill him and summon another in his place to be the Shield Hero?"

The King let out a sigh as he responded. "As much as I wish we could, that is impossible. To summon a new Hero, we would have to kill all four of you and then summon four new heroes to take your places."

At this, I couldn't help but laugh out loud, for the first time that day I was in a pleasant mood, which was surprising given the circumstances. "So here's where your master plan develops its first fatal flaw. Obviously, you can't kill the others, they haven't done anything wrong! And yet you need all four of us to fight the Waves, so you can't kill me! Brilliant! In your moment of triumph, you've just made me untouchable! No-one can do a thing to me, otherwise, you will all die!"

At this the King loses his patience, slamming his hand on the armrest. "Don't think you're getting off the hook easily Shield-Hero! In light of what you have done, word is already spreading through the city about your actions, and as a result, no-one is going to want to associate with you or help you in any way. In short, don't expect to have a decent life anywhere in this realm. That is your punishment."

At this point, I had been expecting them to call for my execution regardless of whether or not they needed me, so for that to be my punishment? In truth, they were rewarding me! I didn't have to answer to anyone or anything, I could do things my way from here on out and screw what everyone else thought about it. But seeing as how this was going to be my final time in present company, I had to go out with a bang and put everyone on notice, regardless if they heeded it or not.

I strode forward towards the guards at the base of the throne, turned around and spoke, addressing everyone in the room in a clear and firm voice.

"You know what, that's fine by me, seeing as how I intended to go alone from the very start. So I will say again what I said before, I will go out into the world and get stronger, make no mistake about it. And because of what has transpired here today, I will go to whatever lengths I have to in order to achieve this, and regardless of whether you approve of them or not, I do not care, your opinions right now are garbage to me. And like it or not, when the next Wave comes along, I will be there to fight alongside you, not for any of you here but so that innocents will not have to suffer! And when the Waves are dealt with and this realm is at peace, I am going to come for each and every one of you who has tried to slander me and take away my honour. I am going to find a way, by hook or by crook, to expose every lie that has been said here today and show the people of this country who the real scumbags are!"

I then narrowed my gaze and directed it at every individual present as I continued. "You all thought you were dealing with a docile puppy, who would just roll over and accept everything that happened and then sit quietly in a corner? Wrong, you are dealing with a god-damned Pit Bull, who is going to come back at you twice as vicious and bite down hard on everyone who has wronged it without caring who gets in its way! Because make no mistake about it, that is the only way I am going to get Justice here!"

As I finished, I started walking towards the throne room doors, not turning back as I threw my last words over my shoulder. "Oh, and the good news is, you won't have to bother with me at all for the next few weeks, because being around any of you right now is making my stomach churn. Now if you don't mind, I have a million better things to do than carrying on this farce."

It was too much to hope for that they would just let me leave. As I was heading out, I suddenly heard the King yell out. "Guards! Seize all the Shield-Hero's belongings! They were not his to begin with and are now stolen goods!"

As I felt and saw the guards surround me, I tensed myself to act when suddenly my Shield let out a fierce green glow. I felt a sudden rush of power flow from it that pushed the guards back, frightening them. Even though I had no clue it would do that, I took it in stride, stating acidly. "That was your only warning. If any of you touch me again, I will start breaking limbs and faces, I don't care who I hurt!"

As the guards processed this, I looked back at the King, eyes and face ablaze with fury. "In terms of my gear and belongings, I am taking these as compensation for all the damages you have caused me today, including slander, defamation of character and emotional distress. Now I would wish you all a good day, but that'd make a liar, and as I have said many times, I. DO. NOT. LIE." With that, I brushed past the remaining guards and barged my way out of the throne room.

§

As I left the palace and proceeded to start walking off towards town, my thoughts were an angry mess. "_Curse every single one of those bastards and that lying slut!_" I raged to myself. "_They're lucky the Waves are on their way, that's the only thing sparing them from a good pummelling! I will make every single one of them pay, even if I die trying!_"

After continuing that same vein of thoughts for a few minutes, I eventually calmed down. Anger wouldn't serve me at all right now, I needed to think of a plan to get by in this world. Obviously, I needed to get stronger, but now I really was all alone so it was going to be a lot more difficult, especially if everyone from the Kingdom would hinder my progress at every step. But even more important than getting stronger was to find some help, which would probably mean having to leave the town and maybe the country altogether if the rumours were going to spread like wildfire.

Until then, I needed an advantage, and I had a few ideas, and the only person I knew who could possibly help me was Elhart, that is if he was willing to after hearing the rumours. But I had no other choice. So I threw my hood up over my face to conceal it and headed in the direction of his shop.

As I made my way through the streets, I heard the whispers and the mutterings about my supposed crime. Turns out the King was right for once, gossip spread like wildfire and I imagine it would be all over the town by now. Thankfully the cloak and hood did their job and no-one got in my way as I approached Elhart's place. Looking left and right to check if the coast was clear, I slipped in the store and closed the doors behind me.

As I turned around and before I could start looking around for Elhart, I suddenly felt a strong hand grasp my neck, lift me up bodily and slam me against the wall. Yup, looks like Elhart had heard the rumours alright. And he was not happy. I didn't even bother to resist, knowing it was futile.

But despite my desperate state, I did manage to wheeze out some words. "You get one free punch Elhart, after that you're fair game because I am not in the mood to be messed around any more."

Elhart's eyes narrowed at my words, and he released the grip on my neck slightly. But as he did so, he let fly with a punch right to my abdomen. Which let me tell you, really, REALLY hurts! Elhart released me as I sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath as he knelt down and looked me dead in the eye, asking one simple question.

"Did you do it?"

After taking a few seconds to get my breath back, I met his stare with my own, responding with defiance. "If you had believed that, you wouldn't have stopped punching me. The fact that you are asking me that question suggests to me that you already know the answer."

At this, Elhart stood back up and offered me a hand, which I gratefully accepted as he proceeded to pull me back up none too gently. "I had heard the stories, but I needed to be sure. You never struck me as the sort who would do that." He said genuinely.

"Yeah well, if only everyone else thought as you did. But they won't, they'll believe whatever the King says."

Elhart nodded in agreement. "You know they are going to make your life unbearable from now on," he pointed out, "so what are you doing to do about it?"

"In short, whatever I have to," I responded firmly. "Even if what I have to do goes against every form of morality and legality that exists, they've left me no other choice. I have to get stronger, and I will do anything and everything to do such. And for that, I apologise in advance"

After a few seconds of silence, Elhart nodded with a sigh. "I had a feeling you would say that."

I then brought up an idea I had to give myself an advantage and after a few moments of discussion, Elhart agreed that it was a feasible idea but one that would take several days and quite a few coins to achieve. Seeing as I had plenty of both, I agreed. "Would also be best if you stayed out of town as much as possible, just to avoid trouble for the both of us," Elhart stated as we wrapped up our business.

As that was pretty much my plan anyway, I agreed, replacing my hood over my head and quietly leaving the store around the back to avoid any curious eyes.

§

*POP*

I hunched over, hands on my knees and let out an exhausted sigh as I downed yet another Balloon, the scraps falling to the ground as it burst. I moved over to pick them up, knowing I could get a few pieces of copper for them.

Well, that's if the merchant in question wasn't being a pain in the ass. First time I'd tried to sell a few Balloon pieces, the merchant in question had tried to rip me off by offering one copper piece for the lot, the exact same price as I'd just seen him give to the previous adventurer for just one Balloon piece. As I'd pointed this out, he evaded further, saying he had to keep up with payments but I knew he was just making excuses not to sell to the reviled Shield Hero, so I'd lost my patience, jumped over the stall, and crouched down with him in a firm grip, growling that if he didn't want to get roughed up a little, he'd start being a bit fairer. I sweetened the deal by saying I'd knock a few coppers off each bunch if he started playing nice.

The spineless coward instantly agreed, thanking me for my generosity as I left him be.

As I got my breath back, I noticed a clump of leaves similar to the sort I'd seen in the local apothecary as I was passing by. Well, if I was going to be self-sufficient, I'd best take advantage of everything I could and see what properties this particular leaf had if any. I pulled one of the leaves off the bunch and, curious to see if it would do anything, allowed my Shield to absorb it. As it did so, the Shield trees popped up, showing every Shield I had unlocked so far, along with a message that said I could unlock a new Shield, which was then followed by a line that formed which connected my Small Shield to a new Shield called the Leaf Shield. A further message popped up which read: 'When a shield is used for a while to achieve a certain level of proficiency, it will grant it's wielder permanent bonuses.'

"_I already knew that_." I thought irritably to myself. "_Hang on, permanent bonuses? So does that mean any skill that I learn can be used with any shield? I'll have to discover that for myself later._" I then held out my arm, murmuring "Leaf Shield" under my breath, and watched as my Shield changed its form that resembled a giant leaf. "_Seeing as it was a leaf that allowed me to unlock this Shield, maybe something else will happen when I pick leaves with this Shield equipped?_" I thought to myself, deciding to test it out. As I picked up another leaf, the leaf glowed and another message popped up, showing that I had activated the Foraging skill which would improve the quality of any plant material that I picked up.

"_That's neat, maybe the apothecary in town could tell me more_."

§

After a quick stop at the apothecary, who marvelled at the quality of materials and was amazed that they came from the fields just outside of town, I went to an inn in an out of the way area of town. Keeping my hood up and disguising my voice just to be safe, I ordered a standard meal and as I was chewing on it, mulled over the past two days.

Grinding on my own was an absolute nightmare. Even after grinding Balloons all day and night for the past forty-eight hours, I had only managed to advance to level 3, which meant my stats hadn't gone up much either. If I wanted to get stronger faster, I would need to find stronger mobs to fight, but was concerned if I could handle myself against anything stronger which would undoubtedly put up more of a fight than the Balloons had with just my gauntlets and Shield. I'd probably have to wait until the idea I had pitched to Elhart came to fruition.

As I was deciding my next course of action, I felt a rough hand grab my shoulder from behind and a sneering voice call out to me. "Hey there *Hero*, we'll join your party," which was followed by sniggers from the same direction.

Sighing, I turned around, noticing three rough looking men dressed in clothing that wouldn't look out of place in a well-organized gang.

Knowing this wasn't going to end well, but deciding to play along, I answered. "Alright then, shall we discuss terms?" Taking advantage of their hesitation at my instant acceptance I ploughed on.

"You'll get paid based on your performance, the better you do, the more money you'll get. That should be enough incentive to start off with. Seeing as I'm putting the party together, I'll take the largest proportion of the loot we gather, say around forty percent, and then split the rest as I see fit."

As they looked at each other hesitantly, I waved for them to follow. "Come on, we can discuss the rest in private."

As they followed me out of the inn and I lead them to a nearby alley so that we wouldn't be disturbed, I limbered myself up ready for the trouble. Once we arrived and I checked to make sure the coast was clear, I addressed them again.

"Now then, if we're going to party up, you are all going to need better equipment. I trust you can sort yourselves out with that?" One of the thugs spoke up at this, protesting loudly. "As the party leader, surely you should be the one providing the equipment?!"

I sighed, deciding that I'd had enough of their stupidity and their obvious insincerity. "I'm not a charity, surely some decent equipment shouldn't be too hard for oh who the heck am I kidding, let's drop the act shall we? You're obviously here to rob me, I can see it in your eyes so cut the crap already."

At this, their insincere grins turned into snarling leers, and their leader let out a small laugh as he spoke. "Well then, make it easy on yourself. There's three of us, and one of you. Hand over your money and armour, and we'll let you leave unharmed."

At this, my right eye started twitching in anger, and I got myself into a battle stance, motioning for them to bring it. "You know, after everything that's happened to me over the past few days, I could use a good outlet for my anger. You three will do nicely." The leader's patience snapped at my casual words and, letting out a bellow, charged me hoping to bowl me over.

What he didn't expect was my boot rising and catching his crotch, hard. As he doubled over in pain, I punched him hard in the gut and finished off by slamming my shield into the side of his head with enough force to knock him out.

That should have been enough to deter the other two, but obviously, they weren't the brightest individuals in the world. The second guy ran at me, fists up and moving to swing at me wildly. I held my pose and as he bore down on me, ducked, grabbed his waist, lifted him up and, using his own momentum, spun 180 degrees and slammed him down on his back. Before he could react, I put my knee down firmly on his stomach and grabbed one of his flailing hands, using the power in my gauntlets to break one of his fingers, which resulted in him letting out a painful yell.

My blood pumping with adrenaline, I spun around and yelled at the third thug. "You want a piece?!" Deciding that cowardice was the better form of valour, he grabbed his two friends and hustled them out of the alley, leaving me to work off my anger, and by working off my anger I meant punching the nearest wall, hard.

Again, my thoughts were a mess. "_That was too bloody close!_" I lamented to myself. "_I was lucky that those guys were dumb as bricks that I could defeat with easy moves. That approach won't work on mobs._"

As my body continued to leak out adrenaline, my thoughts came out of my mouth instead. "I am getting so sick and tired of this! When will this bloody end?!" I yelled out into the open air.

A voice called out to me from a nearby alley. "I couldn't help but overhear your little tirade. Maybe I can provide some assistance?"

I turned around, still breathing heavily as I took a look at the new arrival. He was a short tubby man, dressed in the garb that befitted a magician, complete with a top hat, a handle-bar moustache and round spectacles. He had a smarmy grin on his face as I slowly approached him.

"Unless you can do high amounts of damage and can make up for my lack of offence, I fail to see how you can help me," I growled out sarcastically.

He chucked in response to this. "Ah, a comedian I see! No, I cannot do such myself, but I can provide you with an alternative solution."

I raised an eyebrow, still not convinced. "Are you saying you can provide me with party members? Because if that's the case, you can't help me. Party members and I don't work well."

"Hah! Party members? As if!" He responded indignantly. "No, what I can provide you is a more…convenient answer to your problems. I know who you are Shield-Hero, and what has happened over these past few days. As far as I see it, you are out of other options."

At first, he had my curiosity, now he had my attention. "And what would be this solution?" I asked.

The man motioned for me to follow him, saying over his shoulder. "If you are interested, follow me. I will show you."

I grimaced, knowing this wasn't going to be good, but he was right. I was in a desperate spot and right now I would take anything to help me out. With a sigh, I followed him as he led me to an open part of town and entered what appeared to be a large circus tent.

As we entered, I looked around and immediately had to suppress the urge to shudder in revulsion. The tent contained nothing but cages, some stacked on top of others, and inside these cages were beings of various genders, age and races, but all with one in thing in common. They all looked malnourished and badly treated, dressed in nothing but rags and iron collars around their necks, and their bodies were covered in various bruises.

My revulsion gave way to anger as I grabbed the slaver by his puny neck and lifted him up, slamming him into the nearest cage and yelling out. "Slaves! You deal in god-damn slaves! And this is what you offering to me?! Give me one reason why I shouldn't pound you into the dust right now!"

The slaver struggled in my grasp but managed to wheeze out. "Yes, I do run a slave-trading business. But hear me out! A slave cannot lie or betray their master! By placing them under the effects of a strong seal-based curse, their very lives are bound to their master. This is what I'm offering, surely you cannot refuse!"

With a wild yell, I let him go, coughing and spluttering as I turned my back to him. Damn this bastard! He had me right over a fire. This was wrong on so many levels, but at the same time, I'd sworn to myself and the oafs in the throne room that I'd do anything to get stronger, no matter how many laws I broke or immoral acts I committed to achieve such. Thus I needed a damage dealer in my party. Like it or not, I had to go through with this, even though I'd be hated even more for it. Calming myself, I turned back around and in a clipped tone said: "Show me what you've got."

After getting his breath back, the slaver managed to get his enthusiastic tone back as he called out. "Splendid! Follow me!" Following his lead, he took me around the various cages, pointing out each occupant and what they could possibly offer me. As I took all this in, I suddenly heard a hacked cough come from a cage nearby. I followed the source of the sound and knelt down, pulling back the green rug that was covering the case and peered at the being who had made the sound and let out a small gasp at what I saw.

Inside the cage was a small girl, a child by human terms, with long flowing brown hair and red eyes. But what really stood out were the small ears on top of her head. This was what the slaver meant earlier when he talked about demi-humans! And just like the others, she bore a downcast expression, clad in nothing more than rags with an iron collar wrapped around her neck and the chain for it connected to the bars of her prison.

As I watched her curiously, her eyes slowly lifted to meet mine. Red eyes locked with green. And I instantly saw the expression behind her eyes change from one of despair to one of hope.

**Thank you very much for reading everyone. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I shall see you all in next week's chapter, where we are introduced to everyone's favourite racoon waifu Raphtalia. How will she and Fergus get along?**

**Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now. Until next time! **


	5. Ch 4 - Freedom, Friendship, Faith

**How about that last episode of the anime? The cliffhanger of the century. I cannot wait for next week!**

**Once again, thank you to everyone who has given the story and me a favourite and a follow. I am so overwhelmed that people are actually wanting to keep up to date with my story! ****As before I want to point everyone to two other stories based on Rising of the Shield Hero that I am enjoying reading: ChsisAnialation's "Fear of the Kingdom" and my buddy zinmaster24's "From Soldier to Hero" (In particular I want to shout-out zinmaster24 who gave me a shout out in his latest chapter, which you should go and check out after reading mine)**

**Now I want to be very honest with everyone for a moment. Remember when I said I wanted everyone to continue to be honest with their reviews, especially their criticisms? Well, I want you to keep going despite what I am about to say because I don't want to be one of those people who censor or discourages critical reviews just because it unnerves me.**

**When I went to read the reviews for the previous chapters yesterday, I wasn't in the best state to be doing so and as I started scanning them, I instantly started freaking out before closing down my internet browser and spent the next 15 minutes pacing my house animatedly and screaming the words "Damnit Damnit" over and over to myself, often times in a pillow. I hate to be making excuses, but due to my mild autism, I have a very nervous disposition. I struggle to believe anything positive about myself or what I do and take criticism and complaints a lot harder than I ought to. I am aware this is something I need to work on and I will try to do such because I want to read my reviews and absorb any criticisms and praise and use it to help better my writing. So please keep reviewing as you do, and I hope to have the guts to read them, no matter how long it takes.**

**In particular, I want to thank zinmaster24 and najex for their continuing reviews and advice. I was able to remember one or two things from those reviews so I will do my best to answer them: First, Fergus being something of a…Gary Stu, I think the term was, especially in relation to how he was able to speak up as often as did during the last chapter. What I wanted to do was try and represent a difference between Fergus and Naofumi in order to banish any lingering remarks about them being similar: Naofumi comes into the world very ignorant of how it works, and his first introductions with the other Heroes and the King come off a little awkwardly. We can all tell he's trying his best to cope and understand but I imagine to the others it came off quite disrespectful, which only helped to reinforce the view to those who look down on him that the Shield-Hero isn't worthy of being one of the Four Legends, and as such they have zero qualms about brushing him off and keeping him down during the accusation scene.**

**Fergus on the other hand, due to his prior knowledge of history and how these fantasy settings might work, is able to approach things a lot better. He treats everyone with cautious respect and is deliberately trying to not annoy anyone, even as he starts spotting the signs that people here might have a low opinion of him. So he is really trying hard not to reinforce that but at the same time, he doesn't settle well with being disrespected unfairly. And so after the King deliberately cuts him off as he is introducing himself, his perspective shifts a little and he decides he might have to speak up a little more, even if it is a little disrespectful, so that people aren't given free rein to mess him around whilst he's in the vicinity. As the story continues and the accusations levelled against him come to light, his prior suspicions that he hoped weren't true were confirmed, and with that he loses any respect for anyone reinforcing this narrative, and as such has no qualms with speaking up and interrupting anyone to get his point across in the face of everyone's lies.**

**As to why people didn't interrupt him and let him speak, they still had a pre-conceived notion that once he had been kicked down, he would be cowed so they could run all over him. They didn't think his previous stance of saying exactly what's on his mind when he wants to would carry over into here, but they were wrong obviously and I think this shocked a lot of people. That and the fact that he was speaking calmly, clearly and putting things together that made sense instead of throwing out insults and baseless accusations left and right surprised people even more even if he wasn't going to be believed. They just didn't think he could be so well-spoken for a supposed criminal. That and he's British, and was raised to speak properly, politely and with facts instead of crass insults. When a Briton speaks like that and with passion, people want to listen even if they don't want to hear what he's saying. **

**Dang sorry, that went on more than I expected, but I hope that answers one of the concerns. If I went on, this note would go on forever and I'm sure we all don't want that! So with that out of the way, on to chapter 4 and the introduction of everyone's favourite girl with racoon-ears, Raphtalia! Who is not psychic, but having heard of the stories of the kind Shield-Hero who treated demi-humans well, was hopeful that he would save her. As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

**Also to the one guest reviewer who wanted me to delete my story: No.**

Chapter 4 - Freedom, Friendship, Faith

The slave-trader kept going on and on about the various slaves he kept, but his voice seemed distant and unimportant as I locked eyes with the small girl who I had heard coughing away. And boy was she in a dreadful state, clothes worn and torn from too much use, bedraggled and unkempt hair, a wan and sickly-looking face permanently set in despair and chained up like a common criminal.

"_By all that is good, she of all people does not deserve this…_" I thought to myself as I turned to the slave-owner and beckoned him over, asking "What can you tell me about this one?"

The man peered down at the girl, considering a little before responding. "She's a Tanuki, a sub-species of demi-humans, and as you can probably tell their stand-out feature are the ears on top of their head. This one came to me already diseased and with what I suspect severe mental trauma, no doubt caused by the torture inflicted upon her by her previous owner. As a result, she doesn't have long to live"

At this I growled softly under my breath, my thoughts dark again. "_What an uncaring bastard to do that to one so young. If I ever have the misfortune of meeting him, I'll kill him. But maybe I can do something to save her…_"

I spoke up again. "If that's the case, surely you don't mind if I take her off your hands? I might be able to save her."

The slave-trader looked a bit surprised for a moment but then his expression changed back to his usual sneer. "By all means, although I must say, choosing a female slave after all the rumours currently being spread about y-GAH!"

He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as I stood up and grabbed him by the neck again, slamming him against the cage and growling to him quietly. "I am not somebody you want to piss off right now, the only reason I'm letting you live is that regrettably, I need you. But anger me again and I will have no qualms about killing you…"

As the slaver struggled in my grip, I suddenly felt a slight tug on my cloak. Looking back, I saw it was the girl who had managed to reach a hand out to touch it, her expression pleading with me not to do this. At her touch I felt my anger slowly fade and, letting the slaver go, I turned around, knelt back down and reached out a hand, my firm and well-calloused hand taking a hold of her small, sickly hand.

As I did so, we locked eyes again. Whilst staring at one another, I thought to myself about how similar our circumstances were….well almost similar, she was in a much worse state than I was. But what we did share was that we had both been slighted and then thrown aside by society. And with this common ground, we could turn that around. If those around us want to believe that there is no good in us, let them, but we will rise up and prove them wrong regardless.

They had passed judgement on us, we will show them how wrong they were and earn our redemption.

They see us as criminals and the lowest of the low, we will show them that even the dregs of society can rise up and become heroes.

With these words, I found a new resolve. I would take this girl in, a slave only in name but I would treat her so much better. We will fight together, not only against the Waves but also the judgement of society, and by having faith in each other we will pull each other up and rise against those who had wronged us, becoming much better people than they'll ever be.

I turned back to the slave-trader, who had recovered from me choking him and was watching us curiously, and said with determination. "I will take her."

The trader grins. "Well, who am I to deny a customer who knows what he wants? If you could please stand aside, I will release her."

Grudgingly, I stood aside as he took out a large set of keys and proceeded to first unlock the cage door and then the bindings that kept her chained up, before proceeding to tug her none too gently out of the cage and towards the small room in the middle of the tent. I followed, resisting the urge to strangle him once more.

Once we arrived, the slaver took out a small plate and dropped some sort of black substance into it, stirring it around a little before turning to me. "In order for the binding process to take effect, I will require a few drops of your blood."

Sighing but grudgingly nodding, I took up the knife that was on the table and poked it into one of the veins on my arm, drawing a few drops of blood that mixed with the black substance. As I bound my wound with some spare cloth, the trader mixed up the substance with my blood and, taking up the plate, approached the girl who proceeded to shrink away from him and kept her arms folded up against her chest. As the trader moved to try and force her arms down, my conscience took over and I strode over and tapped the trader on the shoulder, motioning for him to back away and let me try and calm her down.

I knelt down and reached a hand out, brushing her arms gently. She looks up at me, her eyes pleading again. I took her hands in mine and gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile, that I would be there for her and that she should trust me. After a few seconds, she nods hesitantly and lowers her arms. At this, the trader approached again and, taking a brush dipped in the substance, applied it to the slave crest resting just below her chin.

As the mark took effect, she cried out in pain and started writhing about in clear agony. But I kept a firm grip on her hands, offering as much reassurance as I could give whilst internally I was berating myself for having her go through this, before reminding myself that this was necessary, both for my sake and for hers. As she slowly recovered from the ordeal, the slave-trader started explaining how the process worked.

"The crest on her chest makes it impossible for her to defy you. If you give her an order, the crest will flare up and cause her pain, leaving her no choice but to obey." As he was saying this, a message popped up on my Status Screen, saying I had acquired a Slave and showing various bits of information, including Violation Conditions and Party Member Settings which I resolved to fiddle with later, as well showing another nameplate and health bar underneath my own, obviously hers.

The girl stopped shaking in pain and looked up at me with a fearful expression, wondering what I was going to do to her now that I owned her.

Time to build up a little bit of trust. I addressed her in a gentle tone. "Hey there little one, do you mind telling me your name?"

She looked completely stunned at my request, no doubt surprised that anyone would speak to her with such respect before responding. "R-R-Raphtalia."

"It's nice to meet you Raphtalia, my name is Fergus and I'm going to take care of you from now on."

As she struggled to take this in, I stood up and turned round to face the trader. "How much?" I asked bluntly, not wanting to deal with him more than I had to.

"Thirty silver." He responded, and I took the required money out and laid it on the table, before throwing in another silver on top of it, leading to a curious glance from the trader.

"That's your commission," I answered bluntly before turning back to Raphtalia, offering my hand out to her, saying "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and see what we can do about your cold."

She looked up at me hesitantly, as if she feared a trick, but I waited patiently, my hand still outstretched until she came up to me gingerly and took my hand. Smiling reassuringly down at her, I gently wrapped her in my cloak and raised my hood, leading her out of the tent whilst ignoring the slave-trader's parting remarks.

§

As I headed into town with my new companion, I debated to myself about what to do first. Deciding she needed a new attire, I lead her to Elhart's place in the hopes of getting her a set of armour and maybe a weapon. As we entered the store, Elhart came out of the back and, noticing who it was, raised a hand in greeting. I lowered my hood, acknowledging his greeting before turning my expression serious.

"Sorry to bother you again Elhart, but I need a few things from you." Noticing his frown, I hurried along. "Not for me, but for my companion."

With these words, I lifted my cloak, revealing Raphtalia who continued to clutch my hand whilst looking around worriedly. After getting over his initial surprise, Elhart looks at me with a stern expression. "I'm guessing there's a story behind this."

I nodded and responded with regret lacing my voice. "There is. Remember when I told you that I would do whatever it took to get stronger? Well, this is where Raphtalia here comes in. If you are talking technical terms, she is regrettably my slave, but I intend to treat her as anything but that. I promised her that I was going to take care of her and look after her, and I will, and hopefully, in return, she will be able to fight alongside me eventually."

At this, silence fell between us as Elhart considered my words. Eventually, he let out a sigh. "It's a shame that you've had to resort to slavery, but I'm glad that you intend to treat her as a person instead of property." He says, before coming from behind the counter and, kneeling down, gently addresses Raphtalia.

"Hey there Raphtalia, my name is Elhart. It's nice to meet you." Raphtalia initially cuddles closer into me in fright, but as she looked up at me, I nodded to her reassuringly which prompted her to come from behind me and respond hesitantly. "N-nice to m-meet you."

Smiling at her, I turned my gaze back to Elhart and asked him. "Is it possible to hook her up with some gear and a weapon?"

Elhart stood back and nodded. "I'm sure I can find something." Saying this, he proceeded to rummage around the back a little before eventually finding a set of chain-mail armour in her size and handing it to me. Kneeling down, I offered the armour to Raphtalia, who reached out and took it from me with trembling arms, as though she couldn't quite believe she was being offered a set of clothes. I nodded at her and she ran to the back to put it on.

A few minutes later, she re-appears clad in a red chain-mail dress. I smiled at the sight, thinking that it suits her. Elhart passed me a small dagger which I offered to her. She took the dagger from me very hesitantly as I stepped back a few places.

"Okay Raphtalia," I called out to her. "Let's run a little test and see how strong you are."

At this, I pulled back the other side of my cloak and, reaching down, grabbed the Orange Balloon that was latched there and held it out in front of me. Turns out that at my level, the lower-level monsters couldn't cause me any damage, so I had 'acquired' the Balloon in case I needed it for intimidation. Turns out it could now fulfil a better purpose.

I then addressed Raphtalia again. "Okay then Raphtalia, I want you to charge this Balloon and stab it as hard as you can." As I said this, Raphtalia shook her head and took a step back, knife shaking in her grasp. My heart almost broke at the sight, and again I cursed myself at what I was making her do, but I hardened my resolve.

With a grim expression, I called out to her again. "I know you don't want to do this Raphtalia, but I need you to. I promised I would take care of you, and I will, but in return, I need you to fight at my side. In order to help each other, I need you to overcome your reluctance and do what is necessary. Please."

At my words, she stopped shaking and, planting her feet, she charged in hesitantly and stabbed at the Balloon. Unfortunately, the dagger bounced off the Balloon and she got thrown back.

Keeping a reassuring expression on my face, I called out to her. "Try again, I know you can do it!" She got to her feet and, with a little more determination, charged in one more time and stabbed the Balloon again, this time with much more force that caused it to burst.

As the scraps fell to the ground, I reached out and ruffled her hair as she recovered from the exertion, congratulating her in a reassuring tone. As I was doing so, I noticed a pop-up above her head, indicating she had received experience points. At the same time, I noticed that I too had achieved some experience points. As I turned to Elhart, eyebrow raised, he quickly figured out my confusion.

"When you are in a party, the experience you gain by slaying monsters is divided up between all the party members." As I digested this information, he added. "I thought you were aware of this? After all, weren't you in a party with that other girl?"

At the mention of Myne, my expression darkened and I shook my head. "She and I were never a party, so this is the first time I'm seeing this." After clearing up the scraps from the Balloon, I thanked Elhart and, motioning to Raphtalia to follow me, we left the store.

Now that her gear was taken care of, it was time to get Raphtalia some food. As we left Elhart's store, I heard a stomach rumble that could have only come from the small girl next to me, which caused her to look away from me awkwardly. Smiling in amusement, I lead her to a nearby restaurant. But just as I was about to enter, Raphtalia pulled on my cloak again, pointing out a sign nearby that stated 'We do not serve demi-humans.'

After contemplating the sign for a few seconds, I turned to her and stated calmly. "I'm not a fan of discrimination in any way, and I'm not going to play anyone's game whilst we're here. We'll eat here, and if anyone has a problem with that, they are welcome to take it up with me personally."

With this, I took her hand and lead her in, heading for a table towards the back. As we passed by the tables, I heard various mutterings from the patrons. "Ugh, it's the Shield-Hero." "You mean the rapist?" "What's a demi-human doing here?" "Kick them out!"

Ignoring all these remarks, I took a seat as Raphtalia climbed into the seat opposite me, and proceeded to order a set meal for myself and a kid's meal for Raphtalia. Whilst he didn't look too pleased to be serving us, the waiter obliged and, taking the required money, brought us the meals after a few minutes.

As the waiter left us, I looked over at Raphtalia who was looking between the meal and myself nervously, as if she couldn't quite believe what was happening. As she noticed my gaze, she asked hesitantly. "Why are you doing this for me?"

I smiled and responded. "First off, don't be so nervous about asking me anything, I won't shout at you. And in answer to your question, I promised to look after you, and part of that is making sure that you are well-fed. Now eat up."

At these words, Raphtalia's expression changes from one of nervousness to the first smile I'd seen from her, her eyes full of happiness as she took up the spoon and started wolfing down her meal. As she did so, I smiled and, before starting to eat my own meal, I thought to myself "_Little by little, she's gaining confidence. It's good to see. Hopefully, this continues._"

§

After our meal, I too Raphtalia out of town to test her against monsters in the wild and figure out how we could fight together. It took less time than I thought as we quickly found a rhythm which only improved the more we fought together. I would go in first and draw their attention, fending the mob off with my shield whilst Raphtalia came around from behind and attacked them. In the event of two or more mobs, she would wait until I had successfully attracted all of their attention before cutting them down one after the other. If it took her a while, I would distract and fight off the mobs as best I could with my gauntlets and Shield. With this method, the experience points started piling up.

As evening dawned, we finally decided to stop for the night. As I put together a small fire and prepared some fish I had caught earlier, I noted that I was now at Level 5 with quite a few more Shields unlocked, and Raphtalia was now level 3. What also was apparent was the slight change in her appearance, she seemed to have matured by a year or two as she levelled up. That was something to ask about later I decided as we munched away on the fish. As we were finishing up, Raphtalia spoke up again, still a little bit hesitantly. "C-Could you tell me more about yourself Fergus? I only know your name after all."

I smiled kindly at her and, continuing to stoke the fire, I proceeded to tell her the story so far, about how I was summoned into this world along with the other three Heroes, the revelation that we were said Heroes of legend, our first meeting with the King, the first day with our parties, meeting Elhart and then everything that happened in regards to the false rape accusation, in which I left out the specifics due to her age, and then the events following that which lead me to meeting the slave-trader and eventually her.

As I finished the story, Raphtalia's expression turned downcast as she spoke up. "It's so unfair. How could someone so kind and honourable as yourself be treated so badly?"

I grimaced at that, remembering how the others' opinions of me had completely flipped after Myne's sob story. "It's because people exist who, once they get into power, will use it in order put down people they don't like and then will do anything to discredit them in the eyes of the populace in order to turn them against that person. Which is exactly what the King has done to me"

"I remember the stories my parents used to tell me about the Heroes, about how the Shield-Hero was supposed to be the most honourable of them all, and they especially mentioned about how well he treated demi-humans. And the way you've been treating me so far, I know those stories were true." Raphtalia added. As she spoke, she coughs again, reminding me that I still needed to treat her cold.

"Speaking of treating you well, why don't you take a sleeping bag and lie down? I'll mix up some medicine for you." She nods weakly and, taking a sleeping-bag out from my pack, proceeds to find a cosy spot next to the fire as I proceeded to mix up a remedy for her, augmenting it by using one of my new Shields, the Petit Medicine Shield that would make medicine more effective if equipped. I finished preparing it and bought it over to where Raphtalia had laid down.

As I knelt down beside her, Raphtalia speaks up earnestly. "Thank you for everything you are doing for me. You've gone out of your way to give me clothes, food and now medicine and haven't asked for anything in return. Please, tell me what I can do to repay you for your kindness."

At her earnest appeal, I put the medicine down on the ground and again took one of her hands gently in my own and, meeting her eyes with my own, started to explain. "Have you heard of the Waves?" As she nodded in response, I carried on. "There is another one due in the next few weeks, and in order to fight against it, and protect the innocents of this world, I have to get stronger. However, because I am the Shield-Hero, my speciality is defence and as such fighting on my own would be a major struggle, which is why I need someone to be my Sword. But after everything that has happened to me, I have no-one else I can rely on because they have been turned against me. You are now my only hope for the fight to come."

With this, I took her other hand and clasped them both within my own, my tone now pleading with her. "Raphtalia, I am asking you, as one lonely soul to another, if you will fight alongside me. If you do, I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and well, and together we can grow stronger and prove that everyone was wrong about us, and bring justice upon those who have caused us harm. All of this, I swear on my life." As I finished, I bowed my head, waiting for her response.

After a moment of silence, Raphtalia speaks up in a determined tone. "Ever since my parents died, no-one has ever given me a choice about what to do with my life, until I met you that is. And no-one else has cared for me and looked after me the way you have. So yes Fergus, in gratitude for rescuing me and for everything you have done for me, I will fight at your side, against the Wave and whatever comes after that." I raised my head at this, an expression of relief crossing my face as I squeezed her hands in gratitude.

"Thank you Raphtalia…just, thank you." She smiled at this before dissolving into another bout of coughs. I let go of her hands and, taking up the phial of medicine, I pressed it into her hands. "Drink up, it'll take away the cold."

Nodding at me, she starts to down the medicine before spitting it out, moaning about how bitter it was. "Sadly all good medicine tastes rubbish, but I promise you it will work," I reassured her. Steeling herself, she downs the rest of the medicine in one go. As I took back the phial, she snuggled down into her sleeping bag and fell into a peaceful sleep.

§

Whilst Raphtalia slept, I tended to the fire and kept watch, blending and mixing more potions and medicines to pass the time. As I finished up another one, I suddenly heard Raphtalia shifting around her sleep and moaning. Frowning, I dropped what I was doing and moved over to her, intending to wake her up and see if she was okay. I'm glad I did because as I approached, Raphtalia suddenly bolted upright, arms flailing as she started screaming for her parents. Without a second thought, I wrapped my arms around her and brought into me, cuddling her close as she cried into my chest, wrapping her arms around me and continuing to cry for her mum and dad.

There was a very sad tale to this I'm certain, and if I had to guess she had obviously lost her parents when she was young, that was why she'd been sold into slavery, and her nightmare must have been her reliving her parents' death. Stroking her hair, I murmured that I was here for her and that she took as much time as she needed. Eventually, she managed to cry herself to sleep in my arms, after which I laid her back down and moved the log I had been sitting on closer to her, intending to remain as close as I could for the rest of the night.

As morning came, Raphtalia finally stirred awake. As she sat up and rubbed her eyes, I gently asked her if she was feeling okay. She replied that she was much better after what I did for her last night, saying how she hadn't had anyone to comfort her during her nightmares before and thanked me for that. I handed her a bread roll, telling her I would always do such things for her, and that if she ever wanted to talk about it I would be here for her.

After we finished up our breakfast, we head back into the city. Raphtalia asks me why I was going back into the place that had all but cast me out. I told her that I had one more thing I needed to sort out, then we'd leave for a while. Nodding in understanding, she said she'd wait outside for me as we approached the apothecary. It wasn't a long discussion, as the only thing I need clarifying was what was worth more in these parts, potions or herbs. Given the quality of the potions I was making with the improved herbs I had gathered, he told me he would pay an improved price if I bought him more potions. After thanking him and acquiring some better tools for grinding herbs, I left the shop and was about to call out to Raphtalia when I noticed her watching two boys playing with a ball, her tail swishing back in forth in an obvious gesture for longing.

I smiled to myself and, crossing the street, purchased a similar ball to the one being used by the children and bought it back to her. As I held it out to her, I couldn't help but chuckle at the astonishment mixed with excitement on her face as she looked up at me expectantly. "It's for you. As a thank you gift for staying with me." I told her.

She beamed at me as she took the ball and, immediately dropping it, ran full pelt at me and hugged me tightly. Patting her hair and hugging her back, I said to her. "You can play with it as much as you want, just so long as it doesn't distract you from our level grinding, understand?" She nods eagerly. "Okay!" She said as she picked the ball back up. With both of us in a happy mood, we left the city, not intending to return for a while.

§

As Raphtalia and I wandered back towards Elhart's store after a few days in the wild, I reflected on how well the past few days had gone. Especially for Raphtalia. Her cold had gone away very quickly after taking the medicine, and after renewing her promise at fighting by my side, we'd launched ourselves into grinding, trying to raise our levels as much as possible.

But I had a promise to keep as well, that I'd look after her, and that included spoiling her whenever I could in gratitude for staying by me. This had included several more meals at various establishments and even an attempt at me cutting her hair! It had been my first time doing so but thankfully I didn't cut myself and Raphtalia was happy with the result. The only upsetting moment was when we were attacked by a rabbit. Raphtalia had backed away and refused to fight it, saying she was scared of blood. So I'd held it off in order to give her the opportunity to run, telling her that I didn't mind because it proved she had a good heart.

But she had refused to run, repeating that she had promised to get stronger and overcome her fears at my side and, steeling herself, had slashed and killed the rabbit, spraying the both of us with its blood. This caused Raphtalia to have a moment of panic but after a hug from me, she'd cheered up and afterwards we had cleaned ourselves off in a nearby stream.

As we entered the store, Elhart greeted us as usual before doing a double-take as he looked at Raphtalia. "My my Raphtalia, you look as though you've grown up a lot since I last saw you. Seems like Fergus has been doing a good job looking after you." He was right. Just looking at her I could clearly see the differences in her appearance to when I had first acquired her. She now looked and had the physique of a human teenager.

At this, he turned to me next. "I knew you would keep your word, it seems my respect for you was well placed." I waved off his praise, commenting that it was the right thing to do. "Moving on, can we upgrade Raphtalia's weapon? I think she's ready for a sword."

"I don't see why not if that's what you want as well." Elhart turned back to Raphtalia, who nodded eagerly. "I promised Fergus that I would fight at his side, and if using a sword helps that goal then I will do so." At these words, I couldn't help but feel a rush of pride and gratitude swell within me, and I swore to myself that I would never betray the trust she had in me, as this was the first time in this world that anyone had had such faith in me. Elhart motions over to her and together they looked through all the possible blades that she could use. Eventually, she decides on a short-sword with a red handle and sheath, which she brought over to me, eyes pleading with me to buy it for her, which I, of course, proceeded to do.

As I did so, I lowered my head in Elhart's direction and asked him about how my request was coming along, to which he replied that it was almost ready. Nodding in gratitude, I then asked him if there were any areas around with slightly tougher mobs. At my request, he pulled out a map and pointed out a village not too far away. "It's called Lute Village. It's a small little town and whilst the people there live well, I've heard that recently that they're having problems with an increased number of monsters as a result of the last Wave. I'm sure they'd be grateful for any assistance in that regard."

Well, that was a promising lead and could knock out two birds with one stone. We could help out the people of the village and get stronger at the same time. Thanking Elhart for the help, Raphtalia and I proceeded to leave the store. As we headed down the road in the direction of the city gates, Raphtalia asked me what my request from Elhart was about. I put a finger to my lips, saying it was a secret for now, to which she nodded in understanding, trusting that I had a good reason for this.

§

"_Now this is a much nicer place!_" I thought to myself as Raphtalia and I climbed the hill and took our first look at Lute Village. It was a cosy little place, set in a beautiful location, and much more appealing to me compared to the hustle and bustle of the capital. We then proceeded into the village itself, looking around for a general vendor who I could sell a few items to as well as ask for information.

As I discussed the price of the rabbit corpse that Raphtalia had killed the other day with the vendor we found, I found it refreshing that instead of being greeted with suspicion and hostility, I was being dealt with fairly and politely. After paying me the agreed amount for the carcass, I asked him about the problems the village was having with monsters and if there was any spot in particular I could grind.

"There's the mine just outside the other end of the village." He replied after a moment of thought. "It's got good materials that can sell for a good price. But the monsters in there are pretty high in level, seeing as they are remnants from the first Wave. We've put out a number of requests for the other Heroes to come and clear it out but with no response."

Hardly surprising I thought. With a full party, the others had probably grinded to a much higher level than I was right now and probably thought this sort of thing was beneath them. They obviously thought this was still a game, thinking that nothing would happen to the villagers even if they didn't help them. Sighing in frustration at their continued ignorance, I thanked the vendor for his information, stating further that myself and Raphtalia would help clear the mine out, to which the vendor thanked us and wished us good luck.

As Raphtalia and I approached the mine, noting how abandoned it was, I noticed a small hut off to the side, most likely the centre of operations whilst it was still active. As I entered, I looked around and found a few supplies that could be handy for us whilst we were inside, including ropes and pickaxes.

Now my general _modus operandi _with any sort of supply item, or with most items in general, was to feed it to my Shield in order to see if it would unlock any new Shield forms. Most of the time, the Shield rejected the item but I had gotten lucky a few times. Hopefully, it would be the latter here. I picked up a small length of rope and, feeding it to the Shield, I let out a genuine smile as I saw that I had unlocked the Rope Shield, which only grew wider as I saw the small pop-up that followed it, saying I had unlocked a skill called Air Strike Shield!

"_A new skill! Might as well test it out!_" I thought to myself. And with Raphtalia looking on in curiosity, I switched my Shield to the Rope Shield, held it out in front of me and called out "Air Strike Shield!" As I did so, a large, ethereal green shield appeared in front of me. This would be very useful! As the skill faded out, I noticed another small pop-up appear, saying that I could also cast Shields in the air allowing myself and others to jump on them to escape threats as well as being able to throw the Shields at targets which would cause light damage and knock them off balance.

So thanks to one Shield, I had access to a defensive, offensive and mobility skill. Awesome, this would be of great help! My joy must have been obvious because Raphtalia had an expression of happiness on her face as well. When I asked her why she looked so happy, she responded by saying that my smile gave away that the new skill was a good one, and that was good enough for her. I then switched the Shield back to its original form and used it to absorb a pickaxe, which gave me the Pickaxe Shield that came with a +1 upgrade to my mining skill. With these two new useful Shields added to my arsenal, I reached over and grabbed another Pickaxe, handing it to Raphtalia as we left the hut and proceeded into the mine itself.

The entrance to the mine was what you would expect: cold, damp and very dark. Thankfully, there were torches we could light to illuminate the path ahead. As I grabbed one and lit it up, I advised Raphtalia to keep on her guard. If the warnings from the village were true, we might run into monsters beyond our current level. Thankfully, we didn't run into anything as we proceeded into the heart of the mine, following the cart tracks so that we didn't get lost. Eventually, we reached an area where the cart tracks stopped that was contained copious amounts of ores, no doubt what the vendor had meant about good materials. Forget good, this was a treasure trove!

As I approached some of the ores, I noticed some paw-like markings on the ground. No, not markings. Footprints. We weren't alone here, this could be bad. I might have to just mine a few of the ores and then bug out before running the risk of the mobs finding us.

I turned to Raphtalia. "Keep your guard up," I warned. "I doubt we'll be alone for long. Call out if you see anything moving about."

She nodded. "Okay!" With that, she handed the pickaxe over to me and stood back out of the way, keeping a careful eye out. I then switched to the Pickaxe Shield and started to mine away, stopping only to absorb one of the ores, which allowed me to unlock the Light Metal Shield.

As I held the Pickaxe high to strike another ore pile, I suddenly heard Raphtalia let out an ear-piercing scream. Instantly dropping the Axe, I looked over at Raphtalia, who had fallen flat on her bum and was backing away in complete panic. I then looked back towards the entrance, noticing a large form emerge from the shadows of the mine. It had the shape of a large black dog, but unlike dogs from back in my world, this one had two heads.

As I planted my feet and prepared to fight, I heard Raphtalia's voice, shaking in absolute terror from behind me. "I-It was a dog like t-t-that one that killed my p-p-parents, B-but that one had three heads, not two!" I grimaced, no wonder she was so terrified. These were her nightmares made real. But I had sworn to keep her safe and I wasn't going to stop now. As the dog snarled and charged toward me, I let out a snarl of equal ferocity, switching my Shield over to the largest Shield I currently had, the Pipe Shield, and got it up just in time to block the dog's biting attack.

I went eyeball to eyeball with the monster in front of me. "I don't care if it wasn't you that killed Raphtalia's parents. You are hurting her right now. And I will not allow anyone to hurt Raphtalia. You are going down!" I let out a yell, trying to push the dog back but it was freakishly strong. I couldn't make it move an inch. I quickly ran through all the Shields I had unlocked, seeking a way to turn this fight around. But I couldn't think of any apart from the Rope Shield's skill, and that would require changing Shields. However, I was in no place to do that right now. If I let my guard down for even a second, the dog would kill me and then Raphtalia.

I realised now who my only hope was, and it was the girl crying in terror and shaking like a leaf behind me. I felt awful to try and get her to fight when she was in no state to do so, but I had no choice!

"Raphtalia, listen to me!" I shouted out. "I know you're hurting right now, but I need you to hear my words. Remember what we promised each other! We promised that we would help each other and grow stronger and fight together! I will help you overcome this fear, but you need to take that first step yourself! Unless you can overcome your fears and fight, your nightmares will never go away. I believe in you, I know you can do this, and know that I will never, ever leave your side! Fight! Fight with me, fight your fears, and fight to honour the memory of your parents and avenge them!"

As if it could understand my words, the dog bit down harder, sinking into the parts of my arm that weren't armoured and drawing blood. I grimaced at the pain but stood my ground, willing myself to stand strong as long as it took when suddenly I heard Raphtalia's voice cry out from behind me.

"I believe you, Fergus! And I will fight at your side, to the very end!" At these words, she let out a loud cry and, charging past me, slashed at the dog, inflicting a gash in its chest. Taking advantage of the distraction, I yanked my arm out from its mouth as it snarled and turned it's attention to Raphtalia, who had gone sprawling from the momentum of her charge.

As it bore down upon her, I quickly switched to the Rope Shield and held it out. "Air Strike Shield!" At these words, the same green shield sprang up in front of Raphtalia, protecting her from the dog's charge. As it hit the shield and took a groggy step back, she managed got to her feet.

"Now Raphtalia, finish it!" She nodded determinedly and ran out from behind the Shield, letting out another war cry as she stabbed it right in the heart. The dog reared back in agony, Raphtalia's sword still embedded in its chest, and started thrashing around in its death throes before finally collapsing with a loud thud.

Barely even taking a second to catch my breath or attend to my wounds, I ran over to where Raphtalia had slumped over, still looking as though she couldn't quite believe what she had done. Without even needing to think I knelt down and wrapped my arms around her tightly, pressing her to me as I felt her arms do the same. We held each other for a long while, not saying anything.

"We did it Raphtalia." I murmured softly. "We believed in each other, and we won. I am so proud of you for being able to overcome your fears. You are so strong." Clutching me tightly and letting out her tears, she sobbed. "Please don't ever leave me, Fergus. Don't leave me alone! I want to stay with you forever."

"I promise. You and me, we'll stay by each other's side forever." I swore. As she nodded into my chest, we continued to hold each other for a little while longer. Eventually, we separated as she reached into my bag. Finding some spare material, she wrapped it around my wounds as I grimaced, holding back the pain. Before leaving, I went over and absorbed the remains of the dog, unlocking The Two-Headed Black Dog Shield which came with a new suite of abilities that would help greatly in close-quarters.

As Raphtalia and myself proceeded back up the cart tracks, something caught my eye that I hadn't noticed on the way down. It was a round shield-like object propped up against the walls of the passageway, covered in a thin layer of dust, indicating that it had been down here a while. I went over to examine it and was shocked to realise that, apart from the colour scheme, it was the same exact shape and size as Captain America's Shield from _The Avengers_ franchise. It was just such a shame I couldn't wield any other weapon, otherwise, this would have been a great addition to my arsenal.

Depressingly, I reached out and touched the Shield as if to stroke it goodbye. But my Shield had other ideas, as it suddenly let out a green glow from the jewel at the centre. As I watched in curiosity, the light expanded and swept over the whole surface of the Shield. As the glow faded, I noticed a message pop up in my field of view, explaining the Weapon Copy Skill. It turns out that if you place a Legendary Weapon next to a weapon of similar properties it would copy it, unlocking a new Shield. This was followed by another pop-up, and I couldn't quite believe my eyes at the message that appeared in front of me:

(New Shield Acquired: Shield of the First Avenger. Stats on equip: +10 Strength, +10 Magical Defence, +10 Physical Defence)

(Skill unlock at maximum proficiency: Discus Throw. Unlock skill for further details)

Oh my god. No way! No freaking way! I was surely dreaming, this couldn't be real! But I had to try it out, just to be sure. I held out my arm and called out. "Shield of the First Avenger!"

At my command, the Shield shifted forms, and I let out a gasp at the new Shield on my arm. This was the real thing, Captain America's Shield! Except instead of the red, white and blue colouring, the outer ring was black, the middle ring was dark green, the inner ring was also black, the area behind the star was grey and the star itself was dark green.

Still struggling to comprehend the reality of this, I turned to Raphtalia who was eyeing me curiously. After a period of stunned silence, my disbelief turned into a predator's smile.

"Raphtalia, things are continuing to look up for us." She still looked confused but nodded as I went back over to her. Side by side, we proceeded out of the mine, the following thought running through my head:

"_Hey Motoyasu, Ren and Itsuki. I know you can't hear me right now, but remember when I said I would bash things with Cap's shield. It turns out you'll get to witness the real thing in action._"

**I hope everyone enjoyed reading the latest chapter! Remember to read the stories I have recommended above and I should have the next chapter up next Thursday as usual, in which we have the confrontation between Fergus, Raphtalia, Motoyasu and Myne in the church followed by the first Wave.**

**Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you in the next one**


	6. Ch 5 - Why Did It Have to be Undead

**HOW ABOUT THAT LATEST EPISODE OF THE ANIME? Things just got really real! Cannot wait for next week!**

**Also been realising that I****'ve been getting Erhard's name wrong all this time! Going to try and correct that from now on but apologies if I slip back into Elhart from time to time.**

**Just to say that some stuff came up at the weekend that really knocked me down. As such, I didn****'t write all weekend and so I had to push the release of this chapter back a day. From now on, expect every chapter to be released on a Friday, which suits me a lot better to be honest. If anyone is curious as to how I write every chapter, my current schedule is as follows:**

**Friday: Chapter release  
Saturday: Day off  
Sunday: Plan out next chapter by writing abbreviated paragraphs of what will happen. Gives me a good basis on how the chapter will go and how I will structure the next few days  
Monday-Thursday: Fully write out chapter for 2 hours every evening, give myself more time if needed  
Friday: Write up the author's notes, do grammar checks, then release chapter**

**Hope this helps clear out how I do things, and if this helps any aspiring or current authors, good! Once again I want to shout out my buddy zinmaster24 and his story "From Soldier to Hero" which he just recently updated. Go take a look if you are interested.**

**Also, if anyone is curious as to how Fergus looks, I will admit I suck in coming up with a unique look, so I prefer to base my original characters out of currently existing material. In the case of Fergus, I have based his appearance off of Eren Yeager from Attack on Titan, more specifically Eren's appearance after the four-year time skip to the beginning of the Marley arc, minus the facial hair, bandages and missing limbs**

**Thank you to everyone who has given me and this story a follow and a favourite. I am truly blown away by how many notifications I am getting from them. And thank you to everyone who left a review on the previous chapter, I'm glad everyone liked my use of Captain America's Shield. Rest assured it will be a key part of Fergus' arsenal from now on. To the one person who asked, I have more Shields planned to be introduced later, one of which I am looking forward to a lot!**

**Another shout-out to najex for all his helpful advice and comments. Thank you for being so understanding as to my circumstances and for the encouragement to press on and write the story my way, regardless of criticism and/or negative reviews. I have plans to how the story will go and how certain events will play out, and I hope they come off as I hope them to. The duel between Fergus and Motoyasu in particular. Can't wait to get stuck into that **

**Now with all that out of the way, on to chapter 5. Here comes the Wave! As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 5 - Why Did It Have to be Undead?

It's been a week since the events of the mine, and in my mind, things can't have gone any smoother than they have. The passage of time had allowed me to unlock several new Shields as well as all their bonuses, and Raphtalia's swordplay has come leaps and bounds. In terms of our levels, both of us were now level 18 and were constantly moving on to stronger enemies which continually tested our skills.

The increased rate of experience gain hadn't been the only thing that changed. In the days that had followed the mine incident, I'd started a regime of small workouts to strengthen my muscles, especially the ones in my arms. I now started every morning with planks, push-ups, sit-ups and a few other exercises, and whilst I finished feeling sore all over, it would be worth it in the long run. Even though her body was still developing, Raphtalia was eager to try the workouts too and joined in, just in smaller amounts.

As well as these, we also ran every morning and late afternoon as well as when we're on the move, often times running, fighting and then running again, keeping ourselves limber and alert, as it was entirely possible we would have to fight on a moment's notice without preparation as well as improving our stamina. I also told Raphtalia that as well as being a toy for her, her ball could be used as another form of exercise. So whenever we had a free moment we would throw the ball between ourselves, which would improve our reflexes and help our arms a little.

Lastly, I convinced Raphtalia to try some one-on-one duels with me, with her goal to try and hit my Shield as I did my best to avoid her attacks. This would keep Raphtalia's sword skills sharp as well as allowing me to focus on evasion techniques. She was a bit reluctant at first not wanting to hurt me but agreed after I reassured her that she wouldn't actually be hitting me.

I was dwelling on these thoughts as Raphtalia was currently engaging a porcupine, which she managed to take down easily. We had come a very long way, and I hoped it would be enough, as the incoming Wave was due any day now. This meant it was time for us to go back to Erhard's one more time. For myself, I wanted to check how my secret project was doing as well as maybe upgrading my armour. For Raphtalia, I wanted to treat her to a new set of armour and sword.

§

Erhard waves at us as we enter. "It's good to see you both again." As he says this, he almost does a double take at my companion, almost as if he didn't recognise her. "My my Raphtalia, how you have grown. You're a proper young woman now."

As Raphtalia acknowledged his compliment awkwardly, I knew exactly what he meant. As Raphtalia had levelled up, her appearance had changed dramatically. Gone was the quiet and sickly little girl I had first met in the slaver's tent, and in her place was a kind, confident young woman with long flowing brown hair and a figure that had most people squealing at how adorable she was, which had resulted in a lot of stall-owners giving her treats whenever we had come back to the city to purchase supplies.

Raphtalia's voice took me out of my thoughts as she addressed Erhard. "Would it be possible to improve my equipment? With the Wave coming I need to be best prepared to help Fergus combat it." Erhard nodded and showed her an array of swords, out of which Raphtalia picked the one she liked the most, before leading her into the back to find her a new set of armour.

After a small while, she came back out, giving me a small twirl in happiness as she shows off her armour, asking me if I liked it, to which I replied in the affirmative. I was rewarded by a beaming smile before she turned back to Erhard. "Would it be possible to try out my new sword?" As Erhard gave her a confused look, I intervened. "Don't worry, she's just going to try it out my Shield."

Erhard gave his consent as Raphtalia and I turned to face each other. She drew her sword as I activated my Shield of the First Avenger before she came at me with a fierce slash. I met her blow with my Shield and the weapons clashed with a satisfying clanging sound. We then proceeded to inspect our weapons for damage as Erhard marvelled at my new Shield. I noticed where his gaze had gone, asking him if he was impressed.

"Sure am. That's a pretty unique design, how did you get it?"

"It's one of the perks of having a Legendary Weapon, an ability called Weapon Copy." I then proceeded to explain how the ability worked and how I came to find the Avenger Shield.

"Now that I'm all sorted out, we need to sort out Fergus' equipment!" Raphtalia then piped up. "Mister Erhard, would it be possible to upgrade his armour? He needs the best defence possible!" We both looked at her before turning our gazes back to one another, and Erhard couldn't help but let out a loud laugh. "The girl certainly knows what she wants, surely you aren't going to let her down eh Fergus?" At his words and her pleading expression, I gave in. To be honest, I could probably use a better set of armour.

"I've got some fresh materials in stock currently which are a slight upgrade to the ones used to make your current armour. Give me a day and I can put something together for you." Raphtalia then butted in again before I could reply. "Thank you, Mister Erhard! We are in your debt!" I couldn't help it, I let out an amused chuckle at her behaviour whilst at the same time marvelling at how confident she was these days before giving my own consent to the idea. "That sounds great Erhard, thank you very much."

Seeing as the new armour would take anywhere up to a day to craft, we decided to lodge at a nearby inn. As we ate our meals, Raphtalia was chatting away at me enthusiastically, ignoring all the dirty looks the fellow patrons were giving us.

"It's really good to have people we can rely on like Erhard don't you think?"

"It is, but not everyone is as good as he is. Like I told you, people around here hate me and as such will look down on you by association. We have to be careful who we trust." I reminded her

"Fergus!" She moans exasperatedly. "You're too untrustworthy! Try and lighten up a little!"

"I know, it sucks but it has to be this way unfortunately," I replied sadly. "But don't let that affect you. Make sure you keep your positivity up, it's infectious and may result in us having more friends one day." To this, she nodded enthusiastically as we finished off our respective meals.

§

After a good night's sleep and a brisk morning run and workout, we made our way back to Erhard's shop. As we entered, he called out that he was almost done so we waited around for a little until he had finished. He then came out carrying several pieces of gear. I took the gear off his hands and went into the back to change.

After I had equipped the gear, I gave it a quick once-over. Erhard was right, it looked and felt very similar to my previous set of armour. It was a bit heavier but felt as comfortable. A pop up appeared in my field of view, announcing that I had equipped the crafted item (Armour of the Resolved Hero), which had a Physical Defence rating of 32 and a Magical Defence rating of 23, which came with two enchantments for HP recovery (Weak) and Magic Up (Basic). Nodding in approval I met the other two out the back of the store and was immediately met by an enthusiastic squeal from Raphtalia and a grunt of approval from Erhard.

"It looks great on your Fergus!" She gushed as she looked all over my equipment. "Makes you look like a real Hero!" I responded by rubbing her hair in gratitude, at which she couldn't help but blush a little as I turned to Erhard. "It's a great fit, thank you so much. Seeing as we're sorting out payment now, I'll pay for both my armour and my custom order right now." Erhard agreed and I handed over 300 silver, which was a large proportion of my remaining money but was worth it. He then handed over a small package, which I took a quick peek inside and nodded approvingly.

"Just like I wanted it. You're the best blacksmith I've ever met." To which Erhard let out a chuckle. "Of course I am. Must say, it was an interesting concept and I enjoyed the challenge of making it." We shared a laugh at this as I stowed the package away in my pack.

Just as we were finishing our business, we suddenly heard the noise of the crowd pick up. The three of us wandered into the side street next to Erhard's shop and observed as a parade of knights on horseback went past with the crowd encouraging them on.

"Despite knowing we have the legendary Heroes on our side now, the people are still on edge, knowing this next Wave will be stronger than the last one," Erhard commented.

"Hardly surprising, I just wish we knew how long we had left. The waiting is making me nervous." I responded.

"You know you can find out how long we have left right?" Erhard said. "The Dragon Hourglass is located on the top floor of the Church. You should probably head over there and find out" Seeing as we had nothing better to do, Raphtalia and I thanked Erhard again for all he had done for us. Erhard waved it off, saying it was no problem at all and sent us on our way by wishing us luck.

"Are you ever going to tell me what's in that package?" Raphtalia asked me as we headed towards the church. I shook my head with a grin.

"It's a surprise. For when the time is right." She pouted at me, not happy with my answer, but was mollified when I pulled her ball out of my pack instead and gave it to her, which kept her happy and occupied for our short journey.

§

As we entered the church, we asked if we could be shown where the Hourglass was. After a little, a robed figure approached us and silently motioned for us to follow them. As we ascended through the church, Raphtalia and I continued to gently throw her ball back and forth between each other, which drew us some curious stares from those we passed by that we chose to ignore. As we reached the top floor, both Raphtalia and I couldn't help but be awed by what we saw. The Hourglass was huge, approximately 7 metres tall with red sand falling through the various levels, and both the look of it and the aura it gave off were akin to a divine object.

As we marvelled at the Hourglass, my Shield suddenly emitted a bright glow. A beam of light then appeared connecting the Weapon to the Hourglass, along with a pop-up in my field of view that showed that we had 20 hours left until the next Wave. Raphtalia turned to me, her face slightly worried. "Do you think we're ready Fergus?"

I gently threw the ball to her. "We're as ready as we could ever be. All we can do now is hope that's enough." She nodded as she caught the ball and waited until I had backed up to a fair distance before launching the ball powerfully at me, but her aim was slightly off and despite my best efforts, it zoomed past my head. Before I could turn around to fetch it, I heard it impacting on something which proceeded to yell out. "AGGH! What the hell was that?!"

Wait a second! That voice sounded far too familiar. But what if it…? I turned around fully and I couldn't help but burst into laughter. Of all the things for the ball to hit, it had flown straight into Motoyasu's face as he had entered the room. As he rubbed his face in annoyance and started looking around for the culprit, his eyes narrowed as he noticed me moving to pick up the errant ball.

"Normally I would apologise for that, but for you Motoyasu I am making an exception." I turned back to Raphtalia, stowing the ball back in my pack. "Great throw Raphtalia! Perfect pitch, perfect speed, perfect hit!"

"Um, thank you, I think?" She responded awkwardly as I ruffled her hair before turning back around, noticing Motoyasu continuing to stare at me with bristling indignation. "I'd be lying if I said it's good to see you again Motoyasu, but manners are manners so I will say that's good to see you haven't died yet. Looks like you've been doing well for yourself in terms of your levelling and gear in any case."

Motoyasu's expression quickly rearranged itself back to its usual cocky self. "Yeah well, when you're as naturally skilled and gifted as I am, you pick these things up instantly." He bragged. "Must say I'm surprised to see you here Fergus, didn't you say you'd be grinding non-stop until the Wave came or was that more of your usual bollocks?"

I could tell he was deliberately trying to goad me, but he was so obvious I saw through it instantly. "You'd be surprised, I've actually been managing much better than I thought I would." As I was speaking, Raphtalia came up beside me.

"Fergus, who is this person?" She asked.

"Ah yes, pardon my manners," I responded, putting on an air of false respectfulness. "Raphtalia, allow me to introduce you to Motoyasu Kitamura, better known as the Compensati-I mean, the Spear Hero, another of the four Legendary Heroes."

Motoyasu seemed to swell up at his title, obviously missing the slight insult I'd sneaked in there. "That's right, and I'm going to be the one who will defeat this Wave and become the greatest hero of all!"

I couldn't help but facepalm in annoyance at his continued boasting whilst Raphtalia didn't seem convinced. I quickly got over my annoyance in order to address him once more. "Careful there Mr Legend. First, you need to survive the Waves. You should just be worried about keeping up with me."

Motoyasu scoffed at me. "Keep up with you? That's a good one Fergus, a really funny joke! Tell me, seeing as I'm looking for some amusement, tell me how exactly you are going to be of use to the rest of us."

I smirked in response. "What's the fun in spoiling a good surprise? All you need to is I have a few tricks up my sleeve which are going to be VERY handy. In addition, I have a companion who is naturally gifted with a sword watching my back. So don't worry about me, just make sure you keep that pretty face intact if you can."

At the mention of a companion, Motoyasu looked over at Raphtalia who smiled back at him sweetly and gave him a curtsy. "It's nice to meet you Spear Hero. My name is Raphtalia, and I am the Sword of the Shield-Hero Fergus Ward and his ally in the fight against the Waves."

Motoyasu looked a little bewildered as he processed these words before addressing her. "Why did you join up with this guy?" I could see Raphtalia struggling to maintain her smile as she responded. "To put it simply, he saved my life and has looked after me ever since. In gratitude for his selflessness and continued kindness, I have sworn to fight at his side."

I smiled gratefully at her before addressing Motoyasu myself. "You see Motoyasu, this is what true friendship and loyalty look like. We have faith in one another, we trust in one another and we have each other's backs every time we fight. And we don't, for example, throw a comrade under the bus just because a lying slut spoke badly about him." Motoyasu ignored me as he continued to address Raphtalia.

"But surely you've heard about what he's done? You should get away from him before he does the same to you. You can join my party if you want, I'll protect you from him."

This caused Raphtalia's smile to instantly vanish to be replaced by a look of anger as she stared a hole through Motoyasu. "I have heard what has been said about him, and I don't believe a word of it! Unlike you, I've been travelling around with Fergus for the past few weeks so I know him better than anyone, and the person I've come to know, trust and respect would never do something like that. I couldn't be anywhere safer than at his side."

"Besides Motoyasu, don't you already have enough women in your party as it is?" I continued, before adding in snarkily. "Surely you're getting all the attention you could ever have, unless…oh, I forgot, your small package obviously isn't up to their expectations? All those poor girls must be so underwhelmed. The Legendary Spear Hero, not so legendary in bed."

"Yeah well, at least I don't have to commit rape in order to get a girl in bed unlike someone here!"

I brushed off his accusation, tired of hearing it. "Why can't you come up with anything new to insult me with? You're so unoriginal, with a small brain and an under-performing shaft to match."

I recomposed myself before continuing. "But back to your original request, I think Raphtalia has given you an answer. She's not going anywhere. So back off Motoyasu. Just because my companion is prettier than any of yours is no excuse for petty jealousy, it's beneath a Hero such as yourself."

Suddenly a mocking laugh could be heard from behind Motoyasu. "Jealous? Oh, that is rich. Who on earth would be jealous of a weakling such as yourself 'Shield-Hero'?" My eyes narrowed as a familiar figure stepped out from behind Motoyasu, a shit-eating grin on her face as she arrogantly approached us. At the sight of her, I couldn't let out an angry snarl.

"Myne…" I heard Raphtalia gasp from beside me as I said that hated name. I struggled to calm myself down before addressing her again. "How awful to see you again."

"Why don't you and your little friend run along and stay out of the way and let the real Heroes handle the Wave. After all, it's not like you're going to be of any use." She said condescendingly.

I smiled at her in response, a smile that many would assume was friendly if it wasn't laced with so much hate. "In case you've forgotten, running away and cowering in a corner isn't my style. I swore I'd fight the Wave, so like it or not you're going to have fight alongside me. And you already know what I am capable of."

Myne scoffs venomously at my words. "Oh please, what could a rapist and his little pet possibly do? You'll just get in the way and make a mess. The best you can possibly do is die and save us all the trouble of your existence."

Raphtalia lets out a fierce snarl at her words, her eyes wide in rage, but I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down Raphtalia, she's not worth your time." At these words, she calmed down a little but continued to glare at Myne hatefully. "It pains me to do such, but Raphtalia, this is Myne, the lying slut who falsely accused me of rape. Myne, this is Raphtalia, my companion and ten times the woman you'll ever be."

Raphtalia strode up to Myne and got right up in her face. "It sickens me that I have to play nice with such a vile witch. I'll never forgive you for what you've done to him."

"You know Raphtalia, it is such a shame that a lovely girl such as you has to travel around with a rapist and a criminal. Despite your rudeness, I would like to also offer you a spot in Motoyasu's party. We can keep you safe from this scumbag and thus stop him from raping anyone else." Saying this, Myne offered out a hand, which Raphtalia took a quick look at before locking eyes with Myne once more, and then proceeded to slap her straight across the face!

Everyone gasped in shock at what Raphtalia had just done, none more so than me. I knew she was increasingly sure of herself but I didn't think she was at the stage of slapping people in the face! I wasn't sure whether to be proud of her giving Myne what she deserved or concerned as to what may happen next. But Raphtalia wasn't finished as she grabbed Myne by the collar and yelled in her face. "I would rather be in a party with a criminal instead of a brain-dead idiot, a lying, vindictive slut and their little harem of sheep!"

Myne glowered in pure rage as she managed to get free of Raphtalia's grasp. "You disrespectful brat! Know your place!" With these words, she tried to slap her back but before she could, I stepped in and blocked, gripping her hand none too gently. "Lay a hand on her and you'll regret it because I have no qualms about hitting a woman who deserves it."

"Get your hand off me, rapist!" She yelled as everyone tensed up around us. I brought up my Shield-arm ready for a fight as Motoyasu aimed his spear in my direction, a snarl on his face. It was eventually Raphtalia who defused the situation by prising my hand off of Myne's, gripping it gently between my own. "Let's leave and calm ourselves down before we start committing murder. I'm already struggling to breathe due to all the foulness in here."

At these words, I let out a deep breath as I calmed myself. Giving Myne one final glare, I followed Raphtalia as we brushed past everyone present. As I passed by Motoyasu, I couldn't help but leave him with one parting remark. "Good luck, you're going to need it."

As we were leaving the spire, I noticed that Ren and Itsuki were standing off to the side. They'd obviously saw everything that had gone down. However, I wasn't in the mood to deal with them right now and passed by them without sparing a word or a glare in their direction. As we exited the church, I finally let out the breath I had been holding, expelling all the pent-up rage that had been building up. Hearing this, Raphtalia turned to look at me, her eyes full of concern. "Are you okay Fergus?"

"I'm fine Raphtalia, thank you for calming me down. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have hit someone and not done us any favours. They just get under my skin so easily."

"Fergus look at me." I instantly felt her hands grip the side of my face forcing me to look at her determined expression. "No matter what they try and say, I am never going to leave you. I swore to stay by your side and share your burdens. Let them say whatever they want, I know the truth about what kind of person you are, and you are the best." I smiled at her gratefully before wrapping her in an affectionate hug, which she returned straight away as we held each other for a while.

"Thank you Raphtalia."

§

As the countdown ticked over to the final few moments, each of us was preparing in our own way. Motoyasu had his arm around Myne and was bragging to his party about his upcoming victory. Itsuki was chatting away animatedly to one of his fellow party members, obviously trying to distract himself from the tension. Ren as usual just stared into the distance with a neutral expression. As for myself and Raphtalia, we did a few final stretches and inspected our weapons.

5,4,3,2,1,0….*BONG* *BONG* *BONG*

Game on.

As the bell rang out, the colour of the sky suddenly changed. Gone was the normal shade of blue, in its place was a dusty shade of pink. As we watched, all of us were suddenly enveloped in a golden glow As we were struggling to comprehend what was happening, we were all suddenly teleported out of the city and ended up in the outskirts. As Raphtalia and I were re-orientating ourselves, a swirl of strange patterns suddenly appeared in the sky, moving through the sky like a wave. I can see now how they got the idea of calling it a Wave.

As the patterns shifted through the sky they started dispensing a multitude of forms in all shapes and sizes to the land below, the main body of which wasn't too far away. As I looked on, the corner of my eye caught several figures on the move. It was the other three Heroes and their parties, heading towards the large mass of creatures with the intent to halt the invasion at its source. I prepared to follow them but was stopped short by a cry from Raphtalia.

"Fergus! Over there!" I looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a signal flare streak up into the sky over Lute Village. Over the brow of the hill behind the village, I saw a mass of forms bearing down upon it, and there was nobody moving to aid it. And from what I had observed during my brief visit there, there was no garrison stationed there meaning the village was defenceless. Looks like our course of action was decided.

"Raphtalia!" She looked over at me expectantly. "Move out! Our destination is Lute Village. Our priority will be to keep everyone safe!"

"I'm with you Fergus!" With these words, we sprinted off towards the village. As we approached, I got a better look at our enemies, and almost let out a groan. Most of the forms were undead, the main body of which were skeletons armed with crude weapons of various shapes and sizes, along with a few larger varieties clad in armour and wielding giant clubs. Alongside these flew strange bug-like creatures that looked like large wasps.

"UNDEAD!" I yelled out exasperatedly. "Of all the things it could have been, the deadly Waves are nothing more than undead?! Why couldn't this world come up with something more original? I'd have taken demons, seriously!" I suddenly heard a yell come from nearby which interrupted my tirade and I ran pell-mell in the direction it came from. The source of the yell was a male villager backing up into the side of a building as a skeleton bore down upon him. I threw all my forward momentum into a controlled slide and, stopping right in front of the downed villager, raised my Shield and blocked the oncoming blade. This was followed seconds later by Raphtalia sweeping in and beheading the skeleton in one smooth stroke.

I got to my feet as Raphtalia pulled the villager to their feet. "Are you hurt?" She asked him hurriedly.

"I'm fine, thank goodness you got here when you did! Everybody else is gathered in the main square but they're surrounded by these beasts! They can't hold out for long"

I nodded. "Looks like that's where we're headed then. We'll clear a path, stay out of sight and stay behind us." The villager nodded in response to my suggestion as I turned to Raphtalia. "I'll take the lead, mop up anything I leave behind." She nods in understanding as we took off, switching to my Shield of the First Avenger as we did so.

As we approached the village square, the situation was as dire as the survivor said. Everyone that remained was gathered in a tight circle, the men protecting the women, children and wounded as best they could, but they were woefully under-equipped, wielding nothing but farm implements that were barely scratching the undead at all. Letting out a yell to try and distract the undead, I lowered my Shield and upped my pace, crashing into the wall of bodies. The bugs didn't put up any resistance, their blood splattering my Shield but I pressed on. If a skeleton got in my way, I swung my Shield at their necks, quickly beheading them. Any that I missed were quickly mopped up by Raphtalia's sword, and together we managed to break through the circle. Seeing this, the villagers let out a small cheer of relief but I knew we weren't done yet. As we joined forces with them and started to help fend the undead off, one of them called out to me. "Thank you for the help! Any ideas how we can get out of this?"

As I blocked and swung my Shield, I quickly ran through any possible ideas that could help us get out of the situation we were in. Our main priority was to keep everyone safe, but we had to make a gap to get everyone through. I decided on our course of action. It was risky, but if we moved fast enough we could get out of this alive.

"Raphtalia, I'm going to make a gap through these bastards! Once I do, move into it and keep it open. I'll move in to support you and help keep it open! Everyone else, be ready to move! Once it's wide enough and give you the okay to go, run like hell and don't stop! Got it?"

As everyone gave me an affirmative response, I looked around in front of me sizing up the best place to make a gap. "_Dear God I hope this works._" I thought to myself as I switched over to the Rope Shield.

One deep breath to compose myself. "AIR STRIKE SHIELD!"

The green ethereal shield burst out from my weapon and flew like a missile into the gaggle of undead, bowling over a small group of them just as I'd hoped. "Now Raphtalia, plug the hole!" She moved up at my signal, keeping the undead back with swings from her blade, stopping them from reforming the circle. I joined her an instant later, standing back-to-back with her. "Now PUSH!" At my yell, we each pushed forward as best we could, struggling to widen the gap as the undead swarmed us. However we would not be deterred, and eventually, we were able to make a sizeable gap.

"EVERYONE! MOVE IT!" Without hesitation, the villagers ran through the gap we made and took off towards the outskirts of the village. As the last one passed us by, Raphtalia and I broke away from the circle of undead. "Get to the front of the survivors, keep them safe!" I called out to Raphtalia, who nodded and upped her pace as I kept to the rear, scanning for any signs of any approaching undead that weren't part of the main group. We were making good progress before I suddenly heard a scream from the front of the party. My eyes widened as I saw a child slip and fall, his mother trying to get him to his feet, with two skeletons bearing down on them.

"Everyone keep moving, I'll handle this!" I switched to my Pipe Shield, sprinting over to the fallen child. Holding my arm out, I called out. "Shield Prison!" A small cage of shields sprung up around the child and his mother, keeping them safe as I proceeded to lay waste to the oncoming skeletons, knocking them aside with my mailed gauntlets. As the prison faded away, I pulled them both to their feet and screamed at them to run. As they ran to catch up with the main group, I scanned the area in front of me, checking if there were any survivors I had missed. Seeing no-one else, I finally turned away, following the group of villagers as everyone was able to safely evacuate the village.

Unfortunately, that meant we'd had to abandon Lute Village. For now.

§

As luck would have it, the villagers had retreated towards one of the open mine shafts on the village outskirts that Raphtalia and I had helped clear over a week ago. As everyone took a moment to catch their breath, we went amongst them, checking if there were any serious injuries. As I had a limited supply of potions on me, I saved them for the more serious injuries. Any of those with minor wounds had to make do with bandaging them up and staunching any blood flow as best they could.

As we looked back towards Lute Village, Raphtalia came up beside me. As we shared a look, I could see we were of one mind. We were both determined that we would take back the village for these people, regardless of whether help arrived in time or not. Nodding at her, I turned back and addressed everyone present. "Keep your heads down and the wounded safe. Reinforcements should be arriving soon, and with their help, my companion and I intend to take back the village for you."

Several of the villagers shook their head at this, one of them coming up to me. "You won't be doing this alone. You saved our lives, the least we can do is return the favour. We'll fight with you."

I looked over all of those currently gathering in front of me, looks of determination plastered across all of their faces. These men were woefully unequipped and were already weary from the earlier battle, but they were still determined to do their part and fight for their village. As much as I didn't want to put them in danger, I couldn't help but admire them for their bravery. I looked back at Raphtalia, who nodded at me with a smile. I then turned back to address those willing to fight.

"Your courage and bravery are truly remarkable, and I'd be honoured to fight alongside you all, and in return, I'll do my best to keep you all safe. All I have to say is this: Don't try and be a hero, watch each other's backs, and we'll all come out alive. Understood?"

As one, they lifted their voices in a determined battle cry. Quickly dividing the men into two groups, one being led by Raphtalia and the other by myself, we marched back cautiously toward the village outskirts, keeping our eyes peeled for any sign of undead that might try and ambush us.

Thankfully things were quiet until we reached the village, but as we approached the gates we suddenly heard a loud groan, the source of which was a lumbering skeletal giant, swinging its club side to side as it bore down on us rapidly. Yelling at the villagers to get back, I ran to meet it, activating the Shield of the First Avenger. The Shield took the blow but the giant's strength forced me to a knee. Fortunately, Raphtalia was quick to respond. As the giant continued to press his weapon down, hoping to smash through the Shield, she nimbly leapt up, using its arm as a springboard as she let fly with a series of rapid slashes that cut the monstrosity to ribbons.

Breathing heavily, I got to my feet and, after taking a few seconds to steady myself, turned to the villagers. "You ready to take your home back from these bastards?" As one they yelled back defiantly as we entered through the gates.

As I prepared to divide us up again, I suddenly heard multiple whistling sounds from not too far away. Looking in that direction, my eyes widened at what I saw. Fire arrows were about to rain down, some of them right on top of us!

Wasting no time, I quickly let out a yell. "HUDDLE ON ME!" Without hesitation, everyone huddled close together as I lifted my Pipe Shield and called out. "Shield Prison!" Once again a large round cage of shields sprung up around us, keeping us safe as the fire arrows landed all around us. We waited for a little way just to be safe before coming out. As we did, the villagers all let out a gasp.

The fire arrows had done a good job at helping thin out the ranks of undead, but it had also set quite a few of the village's buildings on fire which spread quickly. Soon enough, the whole village was ablaze. I grimaced. This was going to make our mission a lot harder. And my mood wasn't improved by what I heard next.

"Look at that beautiful sight! We've sure done a good job of clearing out those undead." A bragging voice called out. As we turned to look, a squad of knights were approaching the town, their leader with a smug look upon his face. That smug look didn't last for long though, as he and his squad suddenly came face-to-face with a group of angry villagers who proceeded to start chewing him out.

"You've just set fire to our whole village!" "Don't you care that you could have killed us?" "Why didn't you get here any sooner?"

"Show some gratitude peasants!" The leader of the squad snapped back angrily. "You should be on your hands and knees thanking us for saving your lives from the undead."

One of the more senior villagers shook his head at this last comment. "Our lives were already saved long before you got here. We were just about to retake our town before you went and set fire to it. What are you going to do to make up for your actions?"

The leader let out a laugh. "Oh really? You and this motley group of fools? Don't make me laugh!"

Another of the villagers then spoke up. "Not just us. We had help of our own from the brave souls who saved our lives." At these words, the group parted for myself and Raphtalia as we strode up in front of the squad of knights. The leader's expression upon seeing us changed from one of amusement to one of ugly hatred. "Shield-Hero." He growled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I looked down at him in disgust. "Your job apparently." I then turned to the squad in general. "It's good that you here now though. We've managed to evacuate the survivors, they are currently taking shelter in a nearby mine shaft, and like the villagers stated we are planning to retake this place. We could use your help in doing so,"

"Never!" The leader replies in disgust. "I'd rather be caught dead then fight alongside a criminal. Men! We are leaving to fight alongside the other Heroes. Let the village burn for all I care!" As he turns to leave, a shower of insults rained down from the enraged villagers.

"Coward!" "Traitor!" "How could you?!" "How dare you call yourself a soldier!"

Unable to take this, Raphtalia sprints over and blocks their path. "Please don't do this!" She cries out, arms spread. "These people need your help. Surely you aren't so cruel as to let innocent people die?" At these words the leader of the squad loses patience and draws his sword, pointing it at Raphtalia.

"I won't be told what to do by a filthy demi-human! Now get out of my-GAKH!"

As he insulted Raphtalia, what remained of my civility towards this pitiful excuse of a human snapped. At full pelt, I let fly and punched him straight in his stupid face, sending him flying a good few feet as I strode up to him angrily and planted my boot on his breastplate. "That demi-human is more of a person than you'll ever be you pitiful excuse for a human being! And more importantly, she is my friend. Insult her again and I will kill you!"

Removing my boot, I turned to the other members of the squad who wisely hadn't gone for their weapons and appealed to them.

"When you became a knight, wasn't one of the duties you swore to carry out the protection of the people of this country? Right now these people are in danger of losing their homes and their lives to the Wave. I will do everything I can to help them, as will Raphtalia. But we can't do this alone. If you don't help us, not only will everyone here die, but you'll disgrace what it means to be a knight. Feel free to hate me all you want for what I supposedly did, but don't let this oaf's yammering stop you from doing your duty!"

"Shut your mouth scum!" The leader yelled angrily from behind me. "These men will go where I tell them to go. Men! Follow me!" With this, he turned his back on me and began marching off.

But then the unexpected happened. The squad consisted of 15 soldiers, and out of the 14 left behind, only 2 of them jogged to catch up with their leader. The other 12 stood their ground where they were, determined looks on their faces. The leader turned his head, looking back at the remaining soldiers in disbelief. "I gave you all an order! Now FALL IN!"

One of the soldiers remaining behind shook his head. "No, he's right. Our duty is to defend the innocent, no matter the situation. Even if the rumours surrounding him are true, the Shield-Hero has gone out of his way to risk his life for the sake of these people. If we can't do as much as a supposed criminal, we have no right to call ourselves soldiers, or even men." With these words, he turned to me. "We will help you retake this village."

"TRAITORS! I WILL SEE YOU COURTMARTIALED AND HANGED FOR YOUR TREACHERY!" I ignored their leader's frenzied yell as I turned to the soldier who had spoken up and gave him a genuine bow of respect. "You have the gratitude of everyone here for your aid, thank you." I then turned to the outraged leader and his fellow soldiers. "Run along now, we have no use for cowards." He snarled indignantly before he and the other two turned and left.

The soldiers, the group of villagers, Raphtalia and I all huddled together and I laid out the following plan to them. Myself, Raphtalia, 4 of the soldiers and half of the villagers would head down the left-hand side of the village, whilst everyone else would move down the right-hand side of the village with only one simple objective in mind: Avoid the burning buildings and sweep out whatever undead remained before regrouping in the middle of the village to take care of any leftovers. The soldiers agreed to my plan and, dividing into our groups, we set out to retake Lute Village.

§

Between my Shield, Raphtalia's sword and the combined efforts of the soldiers and villagers, we managed to completely exterminate any remaining undead and put out any fires that we could. I suddenly felt a tug on my arm from Raphtalia who was pointing upwards. I looked up and watched as the strange patterns faded from view as the sky returned to its normal shade of blue, signifying the Wave was over.

At this sight, everyone in the town let out a loud cheer whilst Raphtalia wrapped her arms around me and held me tight, smiling joyfully at our victory. I laid my arm across her shoulders and let out a sigh of relief of my own, glad that I had managed to keep everyone safe.

One of the soldiers came up to me, the same one who had spoken up against his leader, and offered out his hand. "Thank you for keeping everyone safe."

I accepted his hand, shaking it warmly in return. This man, and the other soldiers, had earned my respect for doing the right thing even if it meant defying their superior's orders. "Likewise, I couldn't have done it without your help. You are all a credit to your uniform."

The soldier let out a sigh as he let go of my hand, looking back to the outskirts of town in the direction of the capital. "Even though we did the right thing, we'll get no love for what we have just done. All everyone else will see is that we helped out the hated Shield-Hero. I fear I may have just cost myself and the others our livelihoods." He finished with a downcast expression.

I couldn't help but agree, shaking my head in disgust. "I wish there was more I could do to help, but my words and actions will only make things worse. I know this isn't much comfort, but know that no matter what happens, you maintained your honour by doing the right thing and saving innocent people's lives. Aside from that, all I can do is wish you good luck."

The soldier nods in response. "Thank you, but we had best be going. The longer we delay, the more trouble we'll get into." I didn't attempt to stop him, but what I did do was give him the location of the remaining villagers, asking him to let them know that it was safe to return. He agreed and we parted ways, wishing each other well in the days ahead.

Raphtalia and I stood by the city gates as everyone returned. As they passed us, each individual thanked both myself and Raphtalia for saving their lives, to which we responded that we just doing what was right. The last person to come through the gates was the Mayor himself, who thanked us personally on behalf of everyone in the village. "Everyone here owes you a debt of gratitude for saving the village. Henceforth you will both be known as the Saviours of Lute Village, and you will always be welcomed here whenever you wish to come by."

At this Raphtalia and I both gave an awkward bow, humbly saying we were undeserving of this honour which the Major waved off. As he left us to take account of the damage caused to the village, Raphtalia turned to me and asked. "What do we do now Fergus?"

I let out a sigh and looked back through the gates of the village in the direction of the capital of Melromarc. "No-one will celebrate what we have done here. Instead, they will lavish praise on the other three Heroes, celebrating their achievements whilst ignoring ours. But the people here know what we have done for them, and as they travel throughout the land they will spread the word of how the Saviours of Lute Village, the Shield-Hero and his companion, saved their lives. It won't undo the damage already done to my reputation straight away, but doubt will start to creep in as to whether I am as bad as people make me out to be."

Raphtalia smiles and, reaching down, takes my hand in hers. "We'll get your name cleared one day Fergus, I'm sure of it.." I squeezed her hand in gratitude. "I hope so. For now, we will stay here and help the people rebuild. I'm certain in the next few days will be summoned to the capital to celebrate, so we will need to make ready. That will be another battle entirely."

Raphtalia looked over at me, her face determined. "As long as we're together, we'll win."

**Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you again for all of your support.**

**Before I go, I want to leave you with a little something that I considered doing after reading another story that did such. The author in question gave each of his Original Characters a theme song, and that got me thinking about theme songs for each of the characters in this story. Here is what I have so far:**

**Fergus - Never Die (All Good Things)**

**Raphtalia -All I Need (Within Temptation)**

**Ren - Swordland (Sword Art Online soundtrack) (Two words for this one: Discount Kirito. Thanks Foxen Anime on Youtube)**

**Itsuki - Remember the Name (Fort Minor) (It was either this or Justice by Rev Theory)**

**Motoyasu - Dynasty Warriors 5 OST - Opening - DW S2H Mix (because he's currently reminding me of a blonde Zhao Yun, and the opening for DW5 was mostly Zhao Yun wreaking an army of mooks. Zhao Yun is a lot cooler than Motoyasu though)**

**That's all I have so far. If anyone has any ideas for characters I have missed or upcoming characters, do leave suggestions if you wish.**

**Until next time, ****this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now!**


	7. Ch 6 - Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts

**(I'm going to start and end my chapters a bit differently, hope you all don't mind)**

"**Database, Database, just living in the Database wow wow…****" Oh hey there everyone, I was just humming along to the opening for Log Horizon which I have started watching. Gotta admit I am enjoying it so far. The politics are awesome, and the characters are great, especially Akatsuki…hmmm…Akatsuki-OW! *gets kicked in the head by a flying Akatsuki**

**Akatsuki: My lord, permission to beat this worthless fool into the dirt?**

**Shiroe: I sort of accept why you do it to Naotsugu, but do you have to it to everyone who makes a pass at you?**

**Akatsuki: He was having indecent thoughts about me, my lord, and so I felt it best that he should stop**

"**Why are you guys even here?! Look, if it helps I'll stop fantasising about Akutsuki alright? But can you guys get out of here before I get chased around by people screaming 'copyright!'?"**

**Shiroe: Fair enough, come on Akatsuki (they both leave)**

**Note to self, stop having dirty thoughts about Akatsuki. She's always watching. Moving on!**

**DID EVERYONE ENJOY THE LAST EPISODE OR WHAT?! That was amazing! And you can probably tell I am going to have SOOOOOOO much fun when it comes to that discussion between Fergus and the King…you thought Naofumi was smug? Fergus is going to be absolutely MERCILESS! Thanks to Zinmaster24 for our discussions about it, your suggestions are going to make that chapter so much fun!**

**Also the OST for Rising of the Shield Hero is out now on Itunes, Spotify and everywhere else, go pick it up if you haven't already!**

**Thank you again for the reviews, favourites and follows. I want to address two concerns I scanned over from the reviews of the last chapter which are probably shared by a few of you.**

**1\. The Power of the Avenger Shield - The concern was that Fergus shouldn't really be straight up one-hitting enemies due to his low strength stat despite the Shield. I'd like to assure you I have thought about it and agreed. Compared to the other Heroes and higher-level monsters, Fergus' offence is still going to be really weak. But for a human opponent, getting hit by a Shield is still going to hurt, especially when the Shield is designed to bash people around. I have a Shield planned however that should help give Fergus a means to at least come close to the Strength of the others. That will, of course, have its own drawbacks**

**2\. Workouts relating to stats - I saw that some people were saying that the workouts and cardio that Fergus has started shouldn't affect his stats. And they won't, it's just to get him in better physical shape so as to last longer in battle. Hope that clears things up **

**Now with all that out of the way, on to chapter 6, dealing with the aftermath of the Wave and the celebration at the palace. As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

**Also should add that I don't own anything related to Log Horizon after their appearance earlier. I'm also going to sneak in references to a video game, one in the title, and the other at a certain point. Try and guess. I will reveal the game at the end**

Chapter 6 - Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts

It was the day after the Wave hit, and to my amazement, the people of Lute Village were already rebuilding as though nothing happened. In what seemed a short amount of time the damaged buildings had been shored up with whatever materials were on hand, at least until they could source the right stuff to fix them properly. However, the stock of healing potions had taken a slight hit from the flames, and all that had remained had been used to cure the remaining wounded. But the people never complained, instead going right back to work.

Well, I was going to make sure to do my part too. Seeing as more than enough people were working on the renovations, I volunteered to help out the village apothecary by brewing up more health potions to replenish their supplies. Since I was able to forage for better quality herbs and thus make higher quality potions, it made sense and the apothecary was more than grateful. Raphtalia, on the other hand, was helping chop down trees and carrying the wood to where it was needed, which was not only of great help to the villagers but was a good substitute for her workout.

"So how do you think the recovery is going?" Raphtalia's question pulled me out of my thoughts. We were currently taking a break out near a fence that part of the village's border.

"I think they are almost back to how they were before the Wave hit. Supplies have been restocked, everyone is in good spirits, and whilst the buildings haven't been fully repaired yet, at the very least they are habitable."

Taking a drink from my waterskin, I added. "Furthermore these people are a hardy lot. You wouldn't think just a day ago their lives had been in grave danger, and yet they've recovered quickly. No arguments, they just got right down to business and are working well together. I'm just glad we've been able to help however we can"

Raphtalia smiles at this, the wind brushing through her hair. "Me too, and I'd like to keep helping as much as possible. How long do you think we can stay here for?"

"Well, either until the village fully recovers or we're summoned to the capital for the celebration, whichever comes first." As these words came out of my mouth, my eyes suddenly caught movement in the village and then narrowed as I saw who it was.

The three soldiers who didn't stay and help the village last night, and judging from the captain's puffed-up demeanour, they had been highly praised for helping the other Three Heroes. It seemed they were heading in the direction of the Mayor's residence.

"I think that decision is being made for us," I said to Raphtalia, motioning for her to follow me but to keep quiet in doing so. As we approached the Mayor's house, I could already hear the sounds of conversation. Not wanting to draw attention, I had Raphtalia stay behind me as I hid beside the doorway, listening in.

"His Majesty, King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, graciously invites you and any guests you wish to bring along to the royal palace this evening for a grand celebration to commemorate the kingdom's victory against the latest Wave. He hopes you are able to attend." The captain read out in a puffed up voice, reading from a very official-looking scroll no doubt bearing the royal seal.

"_Called it._" I thought to myself as the Mayor took his time before responding. "You may return and tell his Majesty that we would be delighted to attend."

"His Majesty will be delighted." The captain's face then darkened. "If you happen to run into the Shield-Hero, tell him he is invited also. Just be very mindful of him. After all, it wouldn't do your reputation any good to be seen associating with a criminal."

The smug bastard. Of course he would try to spread word of my supposed infamy, no doubt by the King's orders. As the mayor was responding to this, I moved to block the doorway and prepared to confront the coward myself. But the Mayor's words stopped me before I could do anything.

Wearing a smug expression, the Mayor pointed behind the Captain."I could do, but I think you ought to tell the Shield-Hero yourself."

The captain and his men looked around puzzled and jumped back in shock as they saw me barring the door. Good, hopefully they had wet their pants as well, I folded my arms and gave them my best death glare, hoping to look as intimidating as possible. After recovering from their shock, the captain narrowed his eyes at me and spoke in a tone of hurried disgust. "The King expects all of the Heroes to attend the celebration as guests of honour."

Letting out an amused chuckle at being addressed as a 'guest of honour', I deliberately drew out the silence before I responded in order to have them suffer at being in my presence. "Tell his Majesty that I accept his generous offer and will be there, whether he likes it or not." I moved out of the way of the doorway allowing them to leave, which they did so hurriedly, whether in fear or disgust I couldn't tell.

"You seem to have developed a bad reputation amongst the royals and their soldiers Shield-Hero." The mayor noted.

I sighed. "Through no fault of my own, that I can assure you."

He then proceeded to ask me. "What exactly happened to you in the capital that has made people despise you so much?"

"I would rather tell the story once, and everyone attending with you deserves to know what has happened. I wouldn't want them walking into a hostile atmosphere without knowing the exact situation, especially if those who despise me make their next move tonight. I don't want innocents caught in the crossfire."

The Mayor gives me a genuine smile. "Your honesty and concern for others are greatly appreciated. I will gather the others, and then we can sit down and listen to your story, and then go from there."

§

A short while later, a small group of us were gathered around the desk in the Mayor's residence as I started my tale. Alongside the Mayor was his wife, his financial advisor, the village's chief hunter and the village's apothecary. I had also brought in Raphtalia to tell her part as well. And so I explained in full everything that had happened to me since I was first summoned to this kingdom, going into detail about finding out that I was one of the four Heroes of legend, our interactions with the King, the first day, everything that had happened that concerned the false rape accusation, the circumstances in which I met Raphtalia, our adventures in the weeks after that and finally the events immediately before and during the Wave itself. I also added on the things people would likely be saying about me back in the capital, and Raphtalia added her story as well, deliberately going into detail on how well I had treated her.

As we finish, everyone lapses into silence as they process the story they have just heard. It's the Mayor's wife who speaks up first. "It is regrettable that the person who saved our lives is being treated like a criminal for something he didn't do. I'm sorry you've had to go through all of this. But are you sure there isn't anything we can do to convince people otherwise?"

I smiled gratefully at her offer. "Your kindness and thoughtfulness are greatly appreciated, Milady. Sadly that is an impossible task right now. The King, his ministers, the other Heroes and the rest of the court have all brought into this lie completely and are all too eager to see it spread."

"We believe you Shield-Hero, make no mistake, but we have to consider how this will impact us." This came from the financial advisor. "If the situation is as bad as you say it is, then just by being in your company we will be inviting suspicion on ourselves."

I nodded in agreement at these words. "That is true, and I wouldn't want you all to be dragged down in my mess. It's probably best then if we aren't seen together and arrive at the party tonight separately." The Mayor waves this off though.

"Your sacrifice is appreciated Shield-Hero but unnecessary. I speak for all of us here when I say that there will be no shame in us being associated with the Saviours of Lute Village. Furthermore, if we make sure that you get announced as such, it might help start to change some minds about you."

The apothecary seizes on this train of thought. "If we arrive early enough in the capital we could start spreading word about what happened to our village, especially what you did for us, as well as at the celebration itself. Even if the King and his ministers won't listen, the more open-minded will. Even one or two changed minds could make a difference."

The chief hunter added in his two cents with a predatory grin. "Besides, even if the people who despise you try and start something, imagine how shocked they'll be when they see us standing up for you. No matter what happens, you can count on us to have your back. It's the least we can do for all you did to save our village."

I smiled gratefully at everyone present. "Thank you, all of you. It means the world to me to have people who believe me and are willing to stand by me. I swear, I will do all I possibly can to make sure your trust isn't misplaced."

The Mayor gets to his feet. "Our course of action is decided. Everyone make ready to leave. The sooner we arrive in the capital the sooner we can make things happen." Everyone nods and disperses, leaving just myself and Raphtalia alone.

"Isn't this fantastic Fergus?!" She bursts out enthusiastically. "We have people on our side now!"

I couldn't help but smile back at her. "It really is. You were right after all Raphtalia."

As she beams at my praise, I added on a warning. "However, even though we have people on our side, those lined up against us will be determined to see us brought down as well as those associating with us by any means necessary. We still have to be careful alright?"

"Right!" She agreed. With that, we got up and left to make our own preparations for departure.

§

The celebrations seemed to have already started in the capital itself as we arrived. People were in a joyful mood and various traders were bringing in goods from what seemed to be all over the realm. The streets were full of pomp and revelry as everyone celebrated the defeat of the Wave. I would have joined in if the circumstances were any different, but I couldn't lose focus. We were right back into the dragon's lair, and only time would tell if they were going to feast on their prey, namely me.

As we entered the city, Raphtalia and I split from the rest of the party, promising to meet back up with them at the palace later, my logic being that the less we were seen in public together, the better it would be for the Mayor and his party. They agreed, promising in turn to start spreading the word of what happened at Lute Village.

As we were heading up one of the main streets, discussing where we should go first, I suddenly collided with somebody coming from the other direction. I was about to speak up and apologise but then I looked at the person closely. It was the leader of the squad of soldiers who had fought alongside us at Lute Village! But something was off. He looked downcast and instead of his soldier's garb, he was dressed more like a commoner.

Despite this, he looked up and a small smile. "Shield-Hero. Raphtalia. It's good to see you both."

"You as well sir. Pardon me for asking, but what happened to you? Why are you looking so unhappy?" Raphtalia responded

Looking between us, he bitterly remarked. "It's what myself and the Shield-Hero feared would happen. The King was absolutely furious that we fought alongside you, saying that a good soldier wouldn't fight alongside a criminal. Even when I tried to argue that all we were doing was protecting the villagers, he wouldn't listen. All he said was that we had shamed the honour of our station by associating with the Shield-Hero and had us all expelled from the army. I tried to argue our case to anyone who would listen afterwards, but no-one would hear us out. The others have already gone ahead to a nearby tavern to drown their sorrows. I was just on my way to join them when I ran into you both."

"_That bastard!_" I thought to myself bitterly. "_I never thought he'd actually do something like that. That's just low._" Addressing the soldier, I immediately offered an apology of my own. "I'm really sorry you got dragged down because of my mess."

The soldier waved it off. "Don't. You reminded us of what our duty really was, and in the end, we all know what we did was right, even if everyone else disagrees."

Raphtalia looks down gloomily. "It's so sad. You and Master Fergus both did the right and honourable thing, and instead of being praised, you are both being punished for crimes you didn't commit."

"It is what it is," I spoke up, having had a sudden brainwave. "What matters now is what comes next. Seeing as I am partially responsible for this situation, I want to do all I can to make it right."

I locked eyes with the soldier. "Could you take us to where you are meeting the others? I have an idea or two that could help them out, but they'd need to agree to it first." He looked back at me curiously before nodding, motioning for us to follow him. As we did so, Raphtalia looked over at me, a puzzled expression on her face. I mouthed to her "Trust me." To which she nodded.

§

The establishment to which the soldier led us was one of the places I had taken Raphtalia to whilst we were last here, so it was familiar to us both. As we entered, the soldier looked around before spotting the rest of his fellows sitting around a large table in the corner.

As we approached, he called out to them. "Sorry I'm late everyone, I ran into a few old acquaintances. Mind if they join us?" At this, some of them looked over and, recognising myself and Raphtalia nodded and generously made space for the three of us. It was a tight fit with all fourteen of us huddled around a table but we made do.

Wasting no time, I immediately addressed them all. "As I said to your leader earlier, I apologise sincerely that you have all suffered and lost your livelihoods by getting caught up in my mess. I want to make it right and I have a few ideas to do so if you are willing to listen."

Looking around the table and seeing no objections from any of the present company, I did a quick peek over my shoulder, checking that no-one was in our immediate vicinity, I got them all to huddle in close and, speaking in a low voice, quickly summarised for them what had happened to me so far and what the Mayor's party and I had planned for this evening. "I don't want anyone to join us against their will, but even another sympathetic face or two would help our cause greatly."

As I finished my tale, the group lapsed into silence as they digested everything I had just told them. After a while, one of us spoke up in a hesitant tone. "Even if we agree to help you out, I still have a family here in the capital. If I am seen in your company, my family could be targeted next."

I sighed at this, knowing this was inevitable given the King's willingness to punish anyone associating with me. "You're right, and you deserve to put your families and loved ones first. They are innocents in all of this and don't deserve to be put in any danger."

Another of the group pipes up in response to this. "We are already in danger seeing as everyone knows we fought beside the Shield-Hero. We would leave if we could, but are unsure where we would be able to go."

At this Raphtalia pipes up. "How about Lute Village? The people there know you and are already grateful that you helped save their lives. I'm sure the village would take you and your families in if you need it!"

I nodded, seeing where Raphtalia's train of thought was going. "Lute Village is a thriving town and is always growing, they could always use more help to do such. Besides, the village didn't have any guards and couldn't defend themselves from the Wave's attack. Even though there are only twelve of you, it's better than zero. You could also train the villagers in case they need to defend themselves again."

As this idea was processed in their heads, the atmosphere of the group changed from despair to cautious optimism. The leader turned to me next. "It would be better than our current situation, but would the leader of the village accept this?"

I smiled sincerely at him. "The Mayor is already more than grateful for all we've done to save his village, so I'm sure he wouldn't object. But it might help your cause if some of you accompanied us tonight so you can explain your situation to him in person."

"In that case, I will accompany you this evening. Let the King see that we are unafraid to be seen in the company of the Shield-Hero!" The leader spoke up, getting his bravado back. This was followed by similar declarations from three of the others. The others declined, saying that they had their families to think about. And it was to them I spoke next, reassuring them. "It's a good soldier who acknowledges what the right thing to do is. Go and make sure your families are safe and then get them ready to leave. Hopefully, tonight will pass without incident but I cannot promise anything given the circumstances. If that happens, you all need to leave as quickly as you can."

Nodding in gratitude and thanking me for my help, they all dispersed in ones and twos. Soon it was just me, Raphtalia and the four who had agreed to join us. I advised them to gear up just in case things got ugly and asked them to meet us and the Mayor's party outside the palace that evening. With nods of agreement, we all departed.

§

Time passed quickly, and before we knew it, the evening was upon us, which meant it was time for us to head towards the palace. Just as we had agreed, myself, Raphtalia, the Mayor and his party and the small team of four soldiers met up in the grounds outside of the palace. Noticing the unfamiliar soldiers with us, the Mayor looked over at me with a frown. "Shield-Hero, who are these soldiers with you?"

"These are four of the soldiers who fought by us as we retook the village," I explained as the soldiers stepped up beside us. The leader of the squad introduced himself to the Mayor and quickly explained what had happened to them in the past day. As he finishes his story, the chief hunter lets out a sigh of disgust. "The King truly is an idiot for punishing loyal soldiers such as yourselves just for doing your job."

The Mayor's wife speaks up next. "Even though the King has punished you unfairly, we are still grateful for what you have done for us and the lives you saved. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"As a matter of fact, the Shield-Hero proposed that our squad and our families relocate to your village. We could protect you, train your villagers and assist you in whatever capacity you need us."

The Mayor is a little taken aback by this proposal but recovers quickly. "Your offer is a generous one. Give me a moment to consult with the rest of my party." The soldier nods in agreement and as the Mayor gathers the rest of his party into a small huddle to discuss the matter, Raphtalia gives me a hopeful look which I returned with an encouraging smile. After a short while, the Mayor returned, a smile on his face. "We would all be delighted to welcome you and your families amongst us if that is your wish."

Raphtalia beamed at the Mayor, I let out a genuine smile of happiness and the leader of the squad let out a sigh of relief as he moved to shake the Mayor's hand. "Thank you so much. We are all, and I can speak for those who aren't here, incredibly grateful for your generosity."

The Mayor chuckles at this. "Think nothing of it. You did help save our lives after all, it was only right to help you out in your moment of need." With this, he turned to everyone present. "With that business concluded, are we all ready to enter?"

Everyone nodded and took up their positions. The leader of the squad and another soldier took the place at the front of their queue, followed by the Mayor and his party, with the other two soldiers bringing up the rear. Raphtalia and I would follow on behind.

As we approached the palace doors, I remember with a grimace what had happened the last time I was here. My painful recollection must have shown on my face because I felt a sudden touch on my shoulder from Raphtalia, who was looking at me with concern. "I know this place holds painful memories for you Fergus, but this time you are not alone. I will always be by your side, no matter what people say about you."

I smiled at her appreciatively. "Thank you Raphtalia, that's more comfort than you realise. Just promise me you won't do anything rash tonight, even if you are provoked."

She gives me a reassuring smile. "I will do my best. That's all I can say."

§

The party was already in full swing by the time we arrived in the antechamber outside the Grand Hall. As we were making our final preparations to enter, the Mayor came over to me. "Remember Shield-Hero, no matter what goes down in there, all of us here are on your side." He reassured me.

"Thank you, sir," I responded appreciatively. "For my part, I will do my best to keep you all safe."

With that the Mayor returned to his place in the line as the financial advisor finished writing on a scroll, which he then proceeded to hand over to the Herald as we approached, advising him to introduce them as such. The herald reads through the scroll before looking at us with a pale expression, asking the Mayor if he was sure. The chief hunter told him to get on with it. At this, the herald nodded and, recomposing himself, proceeded into the hall and loudly cleared his throat, silencing the party-goers as he proclaimed in a loud voice:

"And now presenting: The Mayor of Lute Village and his guests!" With this, the guards and the Mayor's party strode forward into the hall, whilst Raphtalia and I waited to be introduced ourselves. The Mayor, his party and the guards all strode to the middle of the hall and bowed respectfully towards the King who was watching from above, bows he returned with an appreciative nod.

As the guests were applauding the arrival of the Mayor, I readied myself for our entrance, remembering my father's endless lectures about maintaining a proper posture: feet shoulder-width apart and firmly planted, arms relaxed and hanging loosely down my side, back straight, head up straight with a tucked chin. I gave a quick glance over, noticing Raphtalia conducting herself in the same manner.

We were ready to show them all that we were proud, that we were people worthy of our title.

The herald took another deep breath and prepared to continue. It was show time.

"And accompanying the Mayor and his party, the honoured Saviours of Lute Village, the Shield-Hero Fergus Ward and his companion Raphtalia!"

Instead of applause, I could hear gasps of surprise and shock following our introduction as Raphtalia and I strode into the Hall. As we proceeded to stand alongside the Mayor and his party, I took in the gazes of all those in my field of my view: The King looked down at me with barely concealed anger. Myne's expression was one of disdain, her lips curled in a sneer, whereas Motoyasu was glaring at me with disgust. Ren looked completely nonplussed as always whilst Itsuki was studying us carefully, as though analysing our every move. Raphtalia was polite enough to curtsy in the King's presence, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her gaze locked on Myne the whole time, barely concealing her anger.

I, on the other hand, gave no bow or salute whilst the Mayor was thanking the King for his kind invitation. I no longer cared, everyone here had gone out of their way to disrespect me and ruin my name. I would show them the same disrespect in kind. Once the Mayor had finished speaking, the King dismissed us with a wave of his hand, indicating that the party would resume. With that, our group dispersed around the hall.

Raphtalia and I for our part withdrew to a quiet corner of the Hall, keeping ourselves out of sight. On our way there, we picked up a few plates of food and some drinks. "May as well help ourselves to all the free food being so generously provided for us," I remarked amusedly to Raphtalia, who giggled in response.

As we partook of the provided refreshments, my gaze swept around the hall, observing what was going on, noticing the other Heroes were all being swarmed and congratulated for their heroic deeds. I also picked out members of the Mayor's party, all spread through the Hall amongst various groups of party-goers and sharing polite conversation. Amongst all the various snippets of conversation I was able to overhear, I got the general gist of what was being talked about. Most of the discussions were of course about the accomplishments of the other Heroes, but there were one or two exchanges were I heard my name dropped into the conversation. Some people were curious why I, a supposed criminal, had gone out of my way to save the people of Lute Village, whilst others were outright dismissing these claims as lies. However, there were one or two who were pondering whether the rumours about me were actually true.

Hearing all this, I couldn't help but let out a small smile of victory. Raphtalia noticed this and asked me why I was smiling. I leaned over to her and whispered in her ear. "It's as we were hoping, people are starting to doubt. And we didn't even have to do anything to make that happen." As she nods in understanding, my expression suddenly darkened as I leaned back into the sill I was sitting in. No doubt these rumours will have reached the ears of the King and Myne by now. All that remained was to sit back and await their reaction.

I didn't have to wait long.

Soon enough, the King got to his feet and, picking up a spoon, started tapping his cup. At this noise, the crowd fell silent very quickly and waited for him to speak. "We are here tonight to give thanks to Sir Motoyasu, Sir Ren and Sir Itsuki, whose bravery and heroism was responsible for holding back the Wave and saving us all. I promised you all a generous reward should you accomplish such, and a king's word is his bond. You shall each get a reward of your choosing."

The audience cheered and applauded in response to the King's words, whilst the three Heroes basked in the King's praise. As the applause died down, a voice suddenly called out from the crowd.

"What about the Shield-Hero's reward? After all, he did save the people of Lute Village and helped them retake the town, a brave feat that deserves no less a reward!"

"We have heard the reports of the Shield-Hero's so-called exploits." One of the advisers responded, disgust lacing his voice. "Yet these tales are obvious lies. There is absolutely no way a criminal would go out of his way to save an entire village."

The Mayor's party visibly bristled at these words, the chief hunter in particular looked ready to burst, but was stopped by the Mayor grabbing his shoulder. As the chief hunter backed down, the Mayor stepped forward. "As the Mayor of the village, I know the truth of the events which occurred during the Wave. And all the tales you have heard are true. The Shield-Hero and his brave companion Raphtalia selflessly risked their lives for us. They managed to break through the mass of undead that had surrounded us and gave us an opening to evacuate, which we were able to do safely with their help. Once they made sure everyone was safe, the Shield-Hero led a group of us to take back the village, in which he was joined by a squad of soldiers. Thanks to their combined efforts, they cleared out the remaining undead and have since helped us rebuild."

As the Mayor was telling his story, I muttered to Raphtalia that it was time to do our bit. We moved towards the centre of the hall as the Mayor finished his tale. Mutterings and whispers broke out in the crowd as they digested what they just heard. This lead into a shouting match between the King's ministers, who called the Mayor a liar, and the Mayor's party, who backed up his story. As this was going, we took our places nearby the Mayor's group in case trouble started. Thankfully, we were spared for now by an unlikely source.

"SILENCE! I WILL HAVE ORDER HERE!" The King all but bellowed which caused everyone to cease their arguing. Once he had gotten what he wanted, the King's gaze turned to myself and Raphtalia as we looked back defiantly.

"Tell me Shield-Hero," he started up sardonically, "if these stories are true, what possible reason would scum like you have for saving innocent lives? Money? Another woman for you to rape? Or maybe perhaps you demanded the villagers kneel before you and call you their new lord?"

The gloves had been off the moment ever since I'd stormed out of the throne room after my last visit here, so I would hold nothing back. No matter the consequences or accusations, I would tell them the truth which they were so keen to disbelieve. "None of those."

I heard a scoff at these words which I instantly recognized as Myne's, but I ignored her and continued. "I defended the village and the people because it was the right thing to do." With these words, I turned my gaze to the other three Heroes. "Something I'm sure the other Heroes would have done in my position."

"The right thing? Don't make me laugh!" The King burst out scornfully. "What would a raping criminal scumbag like you know of what the right thing to do is?"

My eyes narrowed at his words. Time to go for the jugular. "Obviously a lot more than you will ever know," I responded in an acid tone, sweeping my arm back as I indicated the squad of soldiers who had come with us.

"Look at these men!" I called out passionately. "These men defied the orders of their superiors to stand alongside me and defend the people of Lute Village. They had the courage and the guts to do what was right, even though they knew they'd be punished for it, and what did you do you senile old fool? You lambasted them and then had them expelled from the army, just for their supposed crime of associating with me! Every single one of them has more honour in their left pinkie than you do in your entire being!"

As I finished my impassioned speech, gasps and angry murmurs arose from the people around us. Some were angrily muttering at how disrespectfully I had been to talk to the King that way, while others were whispering quietly amongst themselves about how the soldiers did not deserve what had happened to them. Losing what little cool he had left, the King spat out. "No soldier worthy of his uniform would dare to fight alongside criminal scum! They sealed their fates the moment they joined you!"

This provoked an angry response from the chief hunter. "So you would rather they had left us to die? Do you care so little about the citizens of this country that you would let them perish just so that you could spite the Shield-Hero?! What kind of self-respecting King does that, 'Your Majesty'?"

"Silence filthy peasant!" Myne spoke up at last, her disdainful glare now firmly locked on the chief hunter. "And know your place. You dare speak like such to His Majesty?"

This prompted an amused reaction from the Mayor's wife as she now entered the fray. "I see age hasn't given you maturity my dear. You are still the same disrespectful brat I remember when I last came to the palace many years ago."

Wait, the Mayor's wife knew about Myne? As far as I knew, Myne was just an adventurer like the other party members. Why would she have been in the palace? I put these questions to the Mayor's wife who shook her head in response.

"Is that what she told you her name was? After all these years she is still a natural liar. The truth, Fergus, and I am speaking to the other Heroes as I say this, is that her name is not actually Myne. Her real name is Princess Malty Melromarc, and she is the King's eldest daughter."

The other Heroes' expressions turned to shock as the truth came out, even Motoyasu looked startled. As for myself, my surprise quickly gave way to quiet rage. Things now suddenly made a lot more sense. The King, with his grudge against the Shield-Hero, and his daughter, the consummate liar. They must have had this all planned out, and everyone else apart from myself, Ren, Itsuki and possibly Motoyasu were in on it. But still, I couldn't prove anything, not yet.

So instead of wasting my time on yet unproven allegations, I focused on the here and now, my smouldering anger turned completely onto the Princess as she looked down at the Mayor's wife in anger. Before she could start a tirade, I cut across her. "Why doesn't this surprise me? First the rape accusation, and now your identity. Is there anything that comes out of your filthy mouth that isn't a lie?"

Malty's glare turned to me, her anger slowly giving way to a confident sneer. "At least I'm not a rapist and a slave-owner."

"_Clever bitch!_" She had obviously seen the slave crest that Raphtalia bore at our last confrontation and had waited until this moment to drop that particular bombshell, which sparked a whole new outbreak of murmurs. This was a slick move on her part, now all the attention would fall back on myself and Raphtalia, who had been silently supporting me up until that moment and was now looking around nervously as people's glances turned to her.

As I was watching Malty, I noticed that Motoyasu was approaching us and shifted my attention to him. Motoyasu descended the steps and stopped across from us before speaking up. "So what we've been hearing is true, that Raphtalia is actually your slave. Do you deny it?"

"If you want to get technical about it, then yes, Raphtalia is my slave," I responded, sounding almost bored. "Is there a point to your question?"

Motoyasu's expression turned to one of anger. "You dare speak of this so casually! How could you possibly think what you are doing is right?!"

"It isn't," I responded, my tone now deadly serious. "It's the last thing I ever wanted to do, but I was left with no other choice. Everyone here gave me little choice in the matter by smearing my name and labelling me a criminal, making sure no-one would fight alongside me. Remember what I told you all at the start of all this? I swore I would do whatever it took to get stronger and fight against the Waves, and for that, I needed a Sword. I was given the opportunity and, knowing full well how everyone would react, took it."

My gaze then turned to the King as I continued. "Besides, even with the Kingdom's constant crackdown on slavery, it is still a profitable business. Many others in higher positions have taken advantage of this for their benefit, and no-one has raised a finger against them. It's not just me you should be angry with."

"That doesn't matter! As a Hero, you shouldn't be partaking in this! Instead of owning a slave, you should be setting them free!" Motoyasu fired back.

"Tell me Motoyasu, how many slaves have you set free since you arrived here?" I asked. As Motoyasu grimaced, knowing he couldn't give me an answer, I turned my eyes to the other Heroes briefly. "What about you Ren? Or you Itsuki? How many slaves have you freed?"

I got no response from any of them, as I expected. "Once again you prove yourself to be a hypocrite Motoyasu." I levelled my glare back towards the Spear Hero. "You speak of what a Hero should do, and yet you have not done such yourself. You are in no position to lecture me about what a Hero should or should not do."

"Regardless of what we have or haven't done, you have still partaken in slavery, an act which you knew was morally wrong but you did it anyway." This came from Itsuki and was followed by a short outburst from Ren. "Is there truly no limit to the lows that you will stoop to?"

Before I could call them out on their words, the King quickly seized his opportunity to twist the knife even further. "We've also been hearing reports that you have been mistreating the girl and forcing her to fight your battles for you. Truly this shows what manner of scum you really are."

Oh, he had right gone and pissed me off now! Insulting me was one thing, I could take it. But to even dare suggest I would ever hurt Raphtalia, after everything we had been through together? That is where the line is drawn, and he had stepped right over it!

"LOOK AT HER!" I yelled out to everyone, indicating Raphtalia at my side who looked startled by my sudden outburst. "Does she look mistreated to any of you? Let me tell you the truth! When I first laid my eyes on Raphtalia, she was in a horrible state, clothed in nothing but rags and in obvious suffering from malnourishment and a cold which would have killed her had I not intervened! I did what no-one else wanted to do! I gave her food, medicine, a set of clothes, the means to defend herself and a place at my side where she would feel safe, all out of my own expenses!"

Composing myself a little, I continued. "If what the King said was true, she would be covered in bruises, dressed in poorly-maintained armour and a lot unhappier! My only regret out of everything I have done is that I had to buy her as a slave to make this happen for her, but the reality of the situation, whether you all like it or not, is that I have treated her as anything but a slave. She is my friend, my party-member and my willing partner in battle!"

This got people talking again, the prevailing consensus was that no-one could dispute how well she looked. Raphtalia gave me a genuinely warm smile, her eyes gazing at me with gratitude and affection before it set itself in determination as she stepped forward to have her say.

"Everything Master Fergus has told you is the truth! After my parents were murdered in the first Wave, my life had been filled with nothing but despair and pain as I was passed from one cruel owner to the next, one of whom took great delight in mentally and physically torturing me!"

As she said this, her voice shook, the memory of her torture obviously painful to relive. I gave her shoulder a squeeze comfortingly and, taking relief from this, she continued. "Master Fergus is nothing like those people! He has treated me with nothing but kindness, care and respect, and has selflessly gone out of his way to ensure I have everything I could ever need or want without asking anything of me in return. He is truly the most honourable and gentle soul I have ever met, not the criminal you are all trying to make him out to be, and it was out of gratitude for what he has done for me that I swore to fight at his side, against the Waves and whatever else may come our way! And I will never forgive any of you for what you have put him through!"

As she was speaking, my heart swelled with gratitude and pride at her words. Even in my wildest hopes and dreams, I would never have expected her to have come as far as she has. The small girl who initially struggled to put together a sentence and had recoiled away from me when we first met was now shouting down the King of Melromarc himself! As she finished, I gave her arm a gentle squeeze and smiled at her in thanks, which she responded with another of her warm smiles.

Our happy moment, however, was instantly ruined. Guess who was responsible?

"You poor girl. Your crest has put you under a powerful curse that compels you to defend your owner." The King then turns his gaze to me. "Although we shouldn't be surprised that a criminal such as you would take away someone's free will."

"_Nice try!_" "Wrong again old fool." I lashed back smugly. "The effect of the slave crest is to punish a slave should they disobey a direct command from their master by giving them a painful shock, which lasts until they obey the order. Don't believe me? Go and find a slave-trader currently hiding around in your capital and ask them yourself."

The King looked poised to interrupt my latest rant but I didn't give him the chance to. "On my honour as one of the four Legendary Heroes, I swear I have never given Raphtalia here an order that she wouldn't willingly carry out, nor have I abused or forced her to do anything against her will. But don't just take my word for it…" With this, I turned to the Mayor and the leader of the squad of soldiers. "Did either of you witness me giving Raphtalia an unreasonable order or forcing her to obey me at any point?" Both of them replied that I had not done those things, going on to say that Raphtalia had willingly helped me in defending the village, protecting the villagers, defeating the Wave's minions and then in aftermath aiding the village's recovery.

The King and Malty both bristled with anger, unable to argue these sound points. But my joy at their displeasure was short-lived as Motoyasu butted back into the conversation. "Regardless of how well you have treated her, it is still not right for a Hero to own a slave. Do the right thing and free Raphtalia at once!"

"You do not have the right to tell Fergus to do anything! And even if you did, I would never leave him." Raphtalia spoke up angrily, glaring at Motoyasu.

Motoyasu brushes off her outburst. "Of course you would say that, seeing as you have to defend everything he does. Your objections are irrelevant due to the curse you are under."

Even after everything I had seen from him, Motoyasu's ignorance and stupidity continued to amaze me. "You really are a gullible idiot! Even after I proved him wrong and explained the real effect of her crest, you still swallow the King's rubbish just because it fits your point of view. Seems I was mistaken after all, the only real slave here is YOU Motoyasu!" Everyone let out a gasp at this but I didn't let up. "You obviously have no mind of your own, instead being an all-to-willing mouthpiece for the King and your little girlfriend over there and going along with whatever they suggest. You are pathetic and I regret giving you any credit!"

My insults obviously stung him deeply as Motoyasu looked fit to burst. But he managed to compose himself, speaking up in a tone dripping with false regret. "Regardless, your actions and your unwillingness to set Raphtalia free have left with no other choice. I know what I have to do now" With these words, he took off one of his gloves and threw it in my direction, smacking against my chest and falling to the ground.

"Fergus, I challenge you to a duel for Raphtalia's freedom. When I win, you have to release her from your servitude and let her go her own way."

I looked down at the glove, before looking back at Motoyasu, considering my response. In truth, I had little choice. If I rejected the duel, I would be branded a coward on top of everything else, and no doubt the King would take the decision out of my hands anyway. My mind made up, I turned my gaze to Raphtalia who was looking at me with worry in her gaze. She reached out and touched my arm, a pleading expression on her face. I looked back with quiet determination and asked her in a low voice. "Raphtalia, do you trust me?"

Without any hesitation, she nodded. I then added. "Then have faith that I know what I am doing." With this, my gaze then went to the chief hunter, who nodded at my unspoken request and stepped forward, proclaiming in a loud voice. "Sir Motoyasu has challenged Sir Fergus to a duel and has laid out his terms." He turned to me. "Sir Fergus, do you accept the challenge of Sir Motoyasu?"

Without missing a beat I reached down to pick up Motoyasu's glove and, holding it out for everyone to see, responded in a loud and clear voice. "I accept Sir Motoyasu's challenge."

Everyone gasped at my acceptance, as though they had expected me to refuse or find some excuse to avoid it. Ignoring them, I continued. "If I win the duel, everyone here present will leave Raphtalia alone and let her be where she wishes."

"So it is decided!" The chief hunter proclaims. "The Spear Hero Sir Motoyasu will duel the Shield-Hero Sir Fergus. The duel shall be one-on-one and will take place tomorrow morning in the palace grounds. Are there any objections?" No-one raised any, no doubt still stunned by what has taken place. Motoyasu and I each had a confident smirk on our faces, both of us sure that we could beat the other whilst Ren and Itsuki quietly discussed what had happened between themselves. The tension in the air was soon broken by the King's latest outburst

"GUARDS! Seize the Shield-Hero and his companion! Throw them in the cells until the morning!"

Shocked gasps permeated the air as everyone moved to clear the area where Raphtalia and I stood as the guards mobilized to obey the King's commands as he, along with Malty, looked on smugly as we were surrounded. I instantly placed myself in front of a startled Raphtalia and raised my Shield, letting out an angry snarl. "If any of you lay a finger on her, I promise you that you won't be walking tomorrow!"

Undaunted by my threat, the guards closed in but their progress was soon barred. The four soldiers who had accompanied us formed a square around myself and Raphtalia with drawn swords and, pointing them at their former comrades, called out. "Stand down! We don't want to fight you, but we will if you come any closer!"

The guards continued to press forward regardless. As everyone tensed up, ready for a fight, a clear voice rang out. "Everyone, lower your weapons! There's no need for blood to be shed."

As everyone did so, my eyes winded in surprise as I saw who had spoken. It was Itsuki! Everyone was shocked, none more so than the King who proceeded to splutter out. "Sir Itsuki, what are you-?" He stopped as he was cut off again, this time by Ren.

"Fergus and Raphtalia have committed no crimes since they entered this Hall. You have no grounds to arrest them." As the King fumbled for an excuse, he continued. "Both parties have agreed to the duel, so there's no need to escalate the situation any further. This will all be resolved tomorrow."

Even the King couldn't fault Ren's sound logic, so he grudgingly let the matter go. However, he still had one card to play. "So be it. All those gathered here will stay in the palace tonight so that they witness the duel for themselves. Rooms shall be provided." He then smirked, his gaze turning to me as he continued. "Not you though Shield-Hero. Filth like you belongs in the dungeons."

I was satisfied with tonight's events, so I didn't mind letting the King have his little victory. The Mayor and his party, however, weren't as happy and prepared to speak up on my behalf. I raised a hand to silence them. "It's alright, let him have his fun for tonight. I'll be sure to wipe the smirk off his face in the morning."

Raphtalia then came up alongside me. "I will be staying with him, no matter where you put him." She said in a firm tone. Motoyasu opened his mouth to object but I glared at him and spoke up before he could. "Shut your mouth. You've already got what you wanted, so save your strength for the morning. You're going to need it."

As no-one else came up to object, the King accepted this, dismissing us with an angry wave and motioned for the guards to escort us to the dungeons. Raphtalia and I went along without complaint.

As we left the hall and proceeded down towards the dungeons, I started to ponder my tactics for tomorrow's duel. It was going to be a tough battle no doubt, but I was determined to be the victor. For Raphtalia's sake.

And a chance to prove everyone wrong? That was an added bonus.

**Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! For those who didn't get it, the video game I was referencing is Dragon Age: Inquisition. The title is the quest name of one of the main quests in the storyline, whilst the part where the Mayor's party and Fergus are announced into the main hall was lifted from that very same quest.**

**I'm also going to start listing the changes I made from the original and why I went that way:**

**1\. The Mayor, his group and the soldiers going with Fergus - I figured if the King was wanting a major celebration he would send words for guests of importance to attend, including the leaders of all the towns and villages. Hence their attendance at the party. As to why they aligned with Fergus? I did want to give Fergus some backup, and since Fergus is slightly more trusting than Naofumi in the original, he would have no problem being honest with the Mayor and the soldiers, especially considering he helped them both out in the previous chapter. As for each individual member, I didn't plan on having any stand-out traits. Except for the chief hunter, who I pretty much based off of Gazef Stronoff from Overlord.**

**2\. The early revelation of Malty's true identity - I figured some of those attending the party would know of her real identity through one means or another. I just dropped in the part of maybe the Mayor and his wife had visited the palace in previous years past and had met the royals. Malty strikes me as the type to have been raised like a spoiled brat from birth and that would stick in the minds of all those who met her, especially given that despite being the elder, she is not currently the Crown Princess.**

**3\. Raphtalia not being separated from Fergus - This one is a bit simpler to explain. Fergus didn't need to be strong-armed by the King into fighting Motoyasu, he accepted the duel on his own terms and this didn't cause a scene like in the original story which resulted in Raphtalia being taken away from Naofumi. And because of her loyalty to Fergus, Raphtalia would stick by him even if it meant being thrown in the dungeons alongside him. As to why Ren and Itsuki blocked the King from doing such? Ren said it best, Fergus and Raphtalia had committed no crime that evening. The only reason they are ending up in the dungeon is that Fergus was satisfied with the outcome, and let the King have a small victory.**

**Hope that clears up a few things. Thank you all again for reading. Until next time, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now! **

**Next week - A duel for the ages: Fergus vs Motoyasu **


	8. Ch 7 - Duel of the Heroes

**Before I start the author****'s note, I do have to give credit to the two stories on here that helped me write the duel: Shield-Hero: A New Symbol of Faith by HunterQwon and The Fear of the Kingdom by ChsisAnialation. Give those stories some love as well as my buddy zinmaster24's story From Soldier to Hero. Which reminds me, ZIN! I knew you didn't like me giving Itsuki such a badass theme. Trust me, the feeling is mutual, but to be honest I really didn't have anything else for him.**

**BY THE WAY HOW ABOUT THE NEW OP FOR THE ANIME! I've been having it on repeat over the past two days, it's great. Also really liked the new episode. They are really really making it too easy to despise Malty. Thankfully Ren isn't a total dumbass like the others**

**And without further ado ladies and gentlemen, Edster Productions now proudly presents the hotly anticipated duel between offence and defence, the Legendary Spear-Hero Motoyasu versus the Legendary Shield-Hero Fergus!**

**Commander Heathcliff: Do you mind if I join you? I'm looking forward to this**

"**Wait, THE Heathcliff, commander of the Knights of the Blood? Of course take a seat, who's your money on?"**

**Heathcliff: Well as a Shield-user I'll be rooting for the Shield-Hero personally. Although he is at a bigger disadvantage than I was during my duel with Kirito since he doesn't have a melee weapon. He'll have to fight smart to win.**

"**Speaking of which, Kirito and his harem have arrived as well. Come on in, take a seat there's plenty of room. Now then Kirito, who is your money on?"**

**Kirito: As much as I would enjoy the Shield-Hero pull out a victory, I'm afraid I have to go with the Spear-Hero. I just can't see Fergus' lack of offence being able to prevail **

**Thank you both for your opinions. Here we go then, the duel between Motoyasu and Fergus. Spear vs Shield. Who will win? Let's find out! As always, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward. And I also do not own anything related to Sword Art Online, seeing as two of their characters appeared here.**

Chapter 7 - Duel of the Heroes

The first light of a new day crept through the window bars of the cell I was currently sharing with Raphtalia, but I barely gave it a glance. My mind instead was on the upcoming duel.

The best I could have done to give myself a good chance of victory was sleep well, which I had done. With that out of the way, I started thinking of strategies to win. One of the problems I faced was that I had not seen Motoyasu fight, so I had no idea what attacks he would use or what powers he could call upon. But that worked in my advantage too, as he had no idea of the skills I could use. My biggest issue was damaging Motoyasu. Obviously, my Shields weren't meant to be used as offensive weapons, not even my Shield of the First Avenger that had worked a treat against the Wave's minions, whereas Motoyasu's spear was designed to inflict maximum damage. To win, my defence would have to be strong first of all, and after that I would have to rely on my Shield's powers and my other little surprise, currently laying in my pack, to pull out a victory. As I was thinking all this through, I heard a soft moan as Raphtalia stirred awake from the other side of the cell, yawning and stretching.

"Morning sleepyhead, you sleep well in our lavish quarters?" I asked cheekily. She chuckles in response, facing me with a smile.

"I did thank you," she replies, before going on to ask. "What about you Fergus? Are you at all concerned about the duel?"

"Truthfully I am a bit nervous," I replied honestly. "But I wouldn't have accepted the duel if I didn't believe I could win. And I am going to go all out to make sure that happens." As I was saying this, she crawled over to me and took my hands in hers, looking at me determinedly.

"No matter what happens Fergus, I will never leave your side. And if they prevent me from doing such, I promise I will do everything in my power to return."

I smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you Raphtalia. I know I can count on you. And I will do everything in my power to make sure they don't take you from me."

She squeezes my hands appreciatively, and as the sun continued to slowly rise, we separated and started our usual workout routines, working the best we could in the constraints of the cell. It meant we couldn't go for a run but it wasn't the end of the world. After all, the duel would give me a good workout anyway. Once we had finished our workouts, I picked up my pack and fished inside for Erhard's package. Bringing it out, I motioned to Raphtalia to come over and look. As she saw what it was, her eyes widened and she looked at me questioningly, asking me how it worked to which I whispered a few words in her ear.

Satisfied but still concerned, she helps me to attach it. It was a perfect fit. As we were both admiring Erhard's master craftsmanship, she gives me a final reminder to "be careful", to which I respond in the affirmative.

All of a sudden we could hear the boots of approaching guards. It was time. I passed my pack to Raphtalia who slung it over her shoulders as a guard unlocked the cell.

"It's time for your duel. Please follow us." I nodded at the guard's words and, accompanied by Raphtalia, allowed them to escort us to the arena. As we walked, I opened up my Status Screen, reminding myself of the Shields I would need and their abilities.

§

The arena we entered into carried the air of a gladiator's arena, the difference being this arena was a rectangular one instead of a circular one. However, the atmosphere in the area was very much reminiscent of the legendary gladiator fights from my world's past. Everyone was looking forward to a clash between two of the Legendary Heroes, most, of course, being on the side of the Spear-Hero. As myself, Raphtalia and the guards surrounding us entered, I took a quick look around at those in attendance. I picked out the King of course, he was unmistakably in pride of place on one side of the ring. Also dotted throughout the crowd were Ren, Itsuki and their party members, as well as the other members of Motoyasu's party. The mayor of Lute Village and his group were also there, and sitting nearby were the soldiers who had fought alongside me.

The only group I didn't recognise however was the group sitting across from the King. They were all dressed in robes very much befitting a religious order, and I would have easily mistaken the man sitting in pride of place as the Pope from my reality, seeing as he was dressed in a very similar fashion to the leader of the Catholic Church. No doubt he filled a similar role in this world as the leader of the realm's religion.

And there, standing across from us, were the two people that mattered most right now. Motoyasu, dressed in his full attire and clutching his Spear, and Malty, standing at his side. Both of them wore matching smug expressions as they saw us approach.

"Okay miss, it's time for you to leave." This came from one of the guards and was directed at Raphtalia. Without protest, she made to leave but I blocked her from doing such, locking eyes with the guard who had spoken. "She stays," I said calmly.

"But it's His Majesty's comm-" I didn't allow him to finish.

"The King doesn't command me," I said firmly. "Besides, if this was going to be a true one-on-one duel, then Motoyasu's party-member has to leave as well. Since we all know that isn't going to happen, Raphtalia is staying. That's final."

As the guards looked to each other, unsure what to do, I decided to offer them a bone. I turned to Raphtalia and asked her to hand me her sword, which she did so unquestioningly. Taking the sword, I offered it to the guards. "This is our guarantee that she won't interfere." Nodding at each other, one of the guards took the sword and allowed us both to pass.

As Raphtalia and I made our way onto the clearly marked duelling platform, it didn't take long for the expected protest to come from the King.

"Why is that filthy demi-human still there? Get her out immediately!"

"The only way she is leaving is if Malty leaves as well," I replied firmly. "Besides, my party-member is unarmed and poses no threat, unlike the Princess over there who I see is still wearing her sword. If you want to respect the rules of a proper bout to ensure no outside interference, you would have both of them leave. It's either that or they both stay. You can't have it both ways, your Majesty."

The King tries to protest this, but before he can speak, Ren beats him to it. "As long as neither party member interferes in the bout, they may stay." The King grumbles at Ren's words but doesn't object to them.

Raphtalia softly grabs my arm and, squeezing it gently, wishes me luck. As I smile at her gratefully, I hear Malty tell Motoyasu to beat me down.

Just as she makes to leave, I leaned in to whisper into Raphtalia's ear. "Watch my back," I said, my eyes indicating Malty. She nods, catching my drift as she moves away to stand at the side of the arena, as does Malty. Now it was myself and Motoyasu in the ring, each staring down the other as the anticipation in the crowd continued to grow.

"The duel between the Spear-Hero and the Shield-Hero is about to commence!" The King proclaims in a loud voice. "The winner will be the first to either incapacitate his opponent or force them to yield." The King then looks down in my direction with a smirk. "I think we all know who will come out on top." I ignored his obvious attempts to bait me into a response, my focus firmly on Motoyasu.

"The outcome of this fight is inevitable." Motoyasu addresses me smugly, hoisting his spear and pointing it at me. "Not only is my weapon superior, but I am fighting for a more righteous cause. You know you are in the wrong and that is why you will lose." In response, I bent my legs, ready to spring myself into action, and held out my Shield, currently in its base state, in front of me. I only had two words to say to him in response:

"Bring it."

As Raphtalia looked on fearfully, Myne watching events with a cocky grin and the audience holding their breath, the King brought his arm down with dramatic flair: "BEGIN!"

§

Motoyasu wasted no time in trying to seize an early advantage, rushing at me as soon as the King called for the duel to start. I waited patiently, making no sudden moves. As he got within striking range, Motoyasu let out a probing thrust which I took on the face of my Shield. I'd barely had to move to block it. Motoyasu drew back and sent a few more thrusts in my direction, each of which I blocked in the same manner, only having to move slightly for each one.

"Well-blocked Fergus," he commented as his last thrust impacted my Shield, "it seems you aren't the Shield-Hero for nothing." As I parried the blow, I narrowed my eyes in annoyance and spoke up as our initial clash ended. "If you aren't going to try Motoyasu, then you may as well give up now because if you keep up like this you'll never beat me."

Motoyasu tilts his head confusedly. "How did you figure that one out? There's no way your Shield can possibly do any damage."

"True, the Spear and the Shield are made for two different purposes," I explained calmly. "The Spear is designed to wear down the enemy's defences and then move in for the kill, whilst the Shield is designed to protect its user from any attack. If this is truly a battle between the Legendary Spear and the Legendary Shield, the two strongest variants of those weapons, then by being unable to break through my Shield, you have already lost."

Motoyasu lets out a snarl at my words. "I'll show you who's not trying!" As he rushes in to attack again, he lets out a yell of "CHAOS SPEAR!"

So this was my first opportunity to see Motoyasu's attacks. As I watched, Motoyasu's spear lit up with a dark pulse as it suddenly split into multiple copies, all of which came at me from differing angles. Recognising that I wouldn't be able to block them all and that if I moved to block one, the others would hit me, I focused on evading each one. I leapt from side to side, dodging each attack successfully. Well, nearly all of them. I grunted as the last blow nicked my right side as I tried to get out of its way. Because it had only nicked me, it didn't draw any blood. But damn it stung like hell.

Trying my best to ignore the pain, I held my Shield out and got into a crouch. "Nicely done Motoyasu!" I called out. "Now it's my turn!" At these words, I took off at a sprint heading straight for him. Motoyasu thrust his spear at me once again, hoping to hit my exposed head, but I nimbly ducked under the blow and, without breaking stride, rammed my Shield straight into his chest.

"Does he really think his pathetic little Shield will do any damage to Sir Motoyasu?" I heard Malty call out in an amused tone. I smiled to myself as the impact registered and Motoyasu let out a pained groan, bending over and clutching his chest in obvious discomfort. The crowd were just as surprised as Malty in seeing the Spear-Hero in pain from just one blow of my Shield.

As he slowly recovered, I allowed myself a few seconds to roll the shoulder of my Shield-arm. All those workouts I had been doing to strengthen my muscles were really paying dividends. Even if they weren't improving my stats, a solid hit from a metal Shield was still going to hurt!

"Come on Motoyasu, surely you aren't THAT weak! After all, my Shield is a defensive weapon, right? It shouldn't be hurting you at all!" I called out mockingly as he struggled up to a fully vertical position once more. "Well if that was enough to give you a stomach ache, then you are in for a world of hurt!

At this, I extended my Shield out and called upon the Shield of the First Avenger, which quickly materialised itself. Just as Motoyasu shook the final few cobwebs out his system, I went in for another swing and caught him flush in the chest once more. This impact was enough to send Motoyasu flying a few feet backwards before landing with a hefty impact.

Another gasp rang out from the crowd as Motoyasu struggled back to his feet once more. Unlike the first blow, this one had only knocked the breath out of him slightly and he recovered quickly. "What the hell is that?"

I crouched back into my battle stance, my Shield once more out in front of me. "Remember the discussion we had on our first night here? Do you recall what my final words were? Thought not, so I'll remind you. I told you I would channel my inner Captain America and bash enemies with my mighty Shield. You just experienced that first-hand!"

Motoyasu glared at me angrily. "Damn you Fergus! Stop playing around and take this seriously!" With that, he rushes in for another attack, this time calling out a spell called Turbulent Thrust which caused gusts of wind to wrap around the point of his Spear. As it impacted upon my Shield, it was obvious the wind gave the Spear a lot more force over a regular attack. Whilst it didn't knock me over, it did cause me to skid back a few feet as I did all I could to keep the attack from causing any damage. This attack was greeted by a cheer from the crowd, who obviously thought that Motoyasu now had the upper hand.

I was going to have to let them down. I was still very much in the fight. And it was time to unleash my surprise.

"You had enough yet Fergus? I wouldn't blame you if wanted to give up now. Either way, there's no way you are winning this duel." Motoyasu challenged me, standing at his full height and hoisting his spear towards me once more. I smirked viciously as I brought my head out from behind my Shield and rose from my crouched position, noticing with amusement that Motoyasu looked a bit taken aback at my expression.

"Oh, I don't plan on giving up now Motoyasu, not when things are about to get more fun!" I spoke up, excitement lacing my voice. "You wanted me to start taking this seriously? Fine. But you will regret those words!" Jerking my head downwards towards my left side, I then proceeded to ask everyone in attendance: "Have any of you noticed that I haven't used my left arm yet?"

All I got in return were confused expressions. "_Perfect._" "Well then, how's about I show you exactly why!" And with a dramatic flourish of my cloak, I brought my left arm out from behind me and held it out for all to see. And everyone gasped at what they saw.

I don't blame them. I doubt anyone had seen anything like this before. My left hand was adorned with a new metal gauntlet but was very much a different design to a regular one. Instead of the glove section that covered one's fingers, the metal instead continued outward over the top of the hand. Whilst this left my hand without any armour, it was still protected by the new design that extended outward a few inches over the top of the hand and was finished in the design of a small blade. Extending it out towards Motoyasu, I called out: "Thing of beauty, isn't it? My own original design from an idea I got from my reality and crafted by the best blacksmith in this kingdom. This will be a good test run!"

As the rising sunlight caught the edge of the blade causing it to glint viciously, I added in a last cheeky remark. "I'd advise you not get hit by it Motoyasu. It is really, REALLY sharp!" This didn't go down well with Motoyasu's supporters, none more so than the King.

"You really are a monster Shield-Hero! Are you really so vile that you would try and kill another Hero and leave us vulnerable to the next Wave?"

"_Do they really not pay attention to me whatsoever?"_ I thought irritably, before responding in a similarly irritated tone. "I am so sick of having to remind you all that I swore I would do whatever it took to fight the Waves! It's not my problem if I'm more open to thinking outside the box to achieve that! Also, before anyone points out how I'm breaking the rules of the Legendary Weapon, I'm not. This is a piece of armour, not a weapon, so I can use it without restraint! Speaking of which…" I turned back to Motoyasu, who was chomping at the bit to resume the duel. "I'm ready now Motoyasu."

He lets out a fierce yell at this and rushes me as I proceed to do the exact same, switching back to my regular Shield as I did so. He swung his Spear towards my head, and I moved my new Arm-Blade up to block it. At the resulting clash, I was surprised but elated to see that it held under the impact.

"Good to know it didn't break" I called out exuberantly at Motoyasu who was currently grimacing with great effort, trying to push my blade back. "Think fast!" At these words, I broke the lock and thrust my blade towards his face, which forced him to dodge at the last second before we clashed again.

As the duel carried on, a familiar pattern of attacks broke out as neither of us could gain the upper hand. Motoyasu would keep trying to break through my guard with thrusts from his Spear, often varying up the angle to try and unbalance me. I was able to block them though, alternately using my Shield and my Arm-Blade to do such. Whenever my Shield was the one that blocked the attack, I would be thrusting my Arm-Blade forward to strike at him, which would force Motoyasu to break his attack to avoid the sharp blade. As he did such I moved on the offensive with the Blade, causing Motoyasu to take avoiding action whilst readjusting his centre line. Once he did so, he would block a thrust from the Blade with his Spear and push it back. Being that his Spear was the much stronger blade, it would force me back each time and allow him to go back on the attack, at which point the cycle of attacks would repeat.

As this was going on, I was able to relax into the rhythm of the fight, thanking every deity that ever existed that my workout and exercise routines were paying off. Instead of wearing me out, the battle was actually getting me really pumped up! The thrill of going blade to blade with Motoyasu was awakening my fighting spirit, and as the duel continued I poured more and more ferocity into my attacks, which Motoyasu was only too happy to match, his obvious determination to put me in my place giving him the strength to keep up.

As the duel carried on, and even though my focus was squarely on the fight, I could hear faint murmurs from the surrounding audience, some of which I was able to distinguish more clearly than others:

"How is this possible? The Shield-Hero is really holding his own against Sir Motoyasu." An onlooker whose voice I didn't know.

"Go on Fergus, you've got this!" That was from the chief hunter of course and was accompanied by other cheers from the Mayor's party.

"Come on Sir Motoyasu, finish him off!" One of Motoyasu's party members cried out, with similar outbursts coming from the others.

"Come on Master Fergus, I believe in you! You can win!" Raphtalia's voice was unmistakable, cheering me on.

"You've got this Motoyasu! Put that filthy animal down." Malty of course.

The noise from the crowd kept coming, spurring us on. As a result, the speed of our attacks increased, which eventually allowed each of us to inflict an injury on the other. Motoyasu's spear managed to sneak through my guard and his blade was able to nick the side of my neck, causing a cut. Before he could capitalise, I got my Blade up and, catching him off guard, managed to nick his cheek, drawing a small amount of blood. The smell and feel of my own blood drove me on as I refused to let up, clashing my blade once more with Motoyasu's. We both smelt an opportunity to go for the kill.

"It's time I ended this Fergus! Prepare for humiliation"

"I couldn't agree more, but I won't be the one getting humiliated!"

Motoyasu let out a fierce roar and at our next clash put a lot of extra effort in to force me back. This suited me fine so I allowed myself to be pushed away, giving an exaggerated leap back to create distance. Taking the bait, Motoyasu charged in, calling out for another Turbulent Thrust. Raising my Shield in front of my face, I quickly countered. "Two-Headed Black Dog Shield!" As my Shield took its new form, it immediately took the impact of the Turbulent Thrust and held firm. As I peeked out from behind the Shield, I noticed a grin form on Motoyasu's face. He obviously thought he had won.

Time to dash his hopes with my next words. "Dog Bite!" At my command, the heads on the Shield came to life and burst outward, latching onto Motoyasu's arms and sinking their teeth in. Motoyasu cried out in surprise and backed off, trying to fend them off but they were relentless! As the Heads did their work, I rose up once more, preparing myself. Time to unleash my planned combination. If this worked as I hoped, Motoyasu would be down and out, or at the very least seriously hurt.

"_1!_" I called out my Rope Shield, which formed on my arm just as Motoyasu finished fending off the heads. As he returned his focus to me, I called out: "Air Strike Shield!" This caused an ethereal green shield to form which struck out at Motoyasu, sending him sprawling once more.

"_2!_" As Motoyasu struggled to get back up, I switched up to my Pipe Shield. "Shield Prison!" A cage of shields sprung up around Motoyasu, trapping him completely. But the worst was yet to come.

"_3!_" "Bee Needle Shield! Activate skill: Shield of Needles!" At this, needles sprung forth from the inside of the Shield Prison. Judging by Motoyasu's cries of pain, some of them had hit the mark!

"_Wow, I can't believe that worked!_" I thought to myself with a sigh of relief as the majority of the crowd looked on in complete disbelief, even those supporting me. Some of them vocalized their displeasure, refusing to believe that the Spear-Hero was on the verge of defeat. Eventually, the Shield Prison wore off, revealing a battered Motoyasu. It was amazing he was still standing given what he had just suffered through, but it was clear he was at his limit.

"Ready to admit defeat yet Motoyasu?" I called out, switching my Shield up to my Shield of the First Avenger.

"NEVER!" he cried out defiantly and despite his wounds charged in once more. An admirable effort on his part, but ultimately it would be futile. His attack pattern was easy to spot and as I made ready to meet the attack, I could tell exactly where he would aim.

As his thrust came at me, I moved slightly to the right, letting the Spear pass under my left arm and trapped it between my arm and my chest as it did so. Motoyasu started panicking and frantically tried to pull it out but to no avail. Time to put this to rest.

"Game over Motoyasu." At these words, I swung my Shield forward, impacting Motoyasu's chest once more. As it hit, I released his trapped Spear and watched as both Motoyasu and his weapon were sent flying back again. As he landed in a heap, I strode forward to end things.

The crowd was silent as I approached the downed Hero, a predatory grin forming on my face as I saw his fearful expression. "How is this possible? How could I be losing to you of all people?!" I proceeded to kick him onto his back, which elicited another painful moan which was music to my eyes, and planted my boot firmly on his chest. As he squirmed in vain, I stared down at him, shaking my head in obvious disappointment at his display.

"There were many reasons why I won, but just for your tiny mind, I will keep it to two," I responded. "First, you still aren't taking this new world seriously, and as such you are limiting your techniques and the skills you can call upon. Second, and most importantly, you came into this battle expecting an easy victory, whilst I came in with a plan to defeat you, which I was able to execute flawlessly, thanks to you. You were out-thought as well as out-fought, and as such, this battle was decided before it began."

I raised my Shield once more as Motoyasu's expression became more panicked as he saw the end of the duel approach. I was on the verge of asking him to yield when I heard a yell above the din.

"FERGUS, BEHIND YOU!" "_Raphtalia!_"

I instantly spun around and without hesitation got my Shield up, just in time to block the incoming attack. As it impacted and threatened to knock me over, I realised with a shock that it was a magical attack. "_Thank goodness that a) I had my Avenger Shield up and b) it blocked the magical attack! Honestly wasn't sure it would._" With a great effort, I pushed the attack back and sent it flying into the nearest section of the arena wall.

As the dust cleared from the aftermath of the spell, I lowered my Shield and, breathing heavily, focused my gaze on the direction the attack had come from. As I beheld the source, my eyes narrowed in anger.

Standing there, hand still outstretched, the magical energy of the attack slowly fading away from it, was Malty, who glared right back me with a furious scowl.

§

Absolute bedlam erupted after Malty's botched interference, which had provoked a multitude of reactions from different parts of the audience. The King and his supporters looked on completely nonplussed, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, whilst the Church party kept a neutral expression. Itsuki and Ren had looks of complete disbelief before proceeding to whisper quietly between themselves. And a good portion of the audience was absolutely livid at what had just occurred, none more so than the Mayor and his party.

"The princess has dared to interrupt the duel for the Spear-Hero's benefit?! I call for Sir Motoyasu to be disqualified, and for the match to be awarded to the Shield-Hero!" The chief hunter yelled out, face contorted with anger.

"Silence! I saw no interference! The match will continue!" The King retorted, which prompted the Mayor to respond, all the while trying to control his anger.

"Do not deny what everyone saw with their own eyes, Your Majesty! In full view of everyone watching, the princess deliberately cast a spell, her sole intention to strike the Shield-Hero from behind and thus incapacitate him!"

"You dare doubt His Majesty?" One of the ministers spoke up with a sneer, whilst Malty let out a chuckle. "Are you really trying to make excuses for this criminal? Besides, I made no such attack, so I have no idea what any of you are talking about."

This provoked an angry response from Raphtalia. "LIAR! You had been preparing to cast that spell ever since Sir Motoyasu had been sent flying by Fergus' last attack! All you were waiting for was for Fergus' back to be exposed!"

As everyone had been going back and forth, I could feel my anger billowing up inside me, waiting for a chance to explode. I allowed it to continue to build as my heart started pounding, my breaths coming in ever-shortening gasps and soon the yells of the audience faded into inscrutable murmurs compared to the sharp hissing now ringing in my ears. I barely noticed these exertions on my body, nor the crimson aura that was starting to build up around my body, nor the fact that, after seeing the state I was getting worked into, Motoyasu was backing away slowly in fear.

None of this mattered. All I could feel was the overwhelming feelings of hatred consuming me as every injustice that I had suffered from my time here flashed before my eyes.

Hatred for the King, who believed his daughter's lies, who had maybe been a part of the plot from the beginning, and who sought to discredit me every chance he got.

Hatred for the people who swallowed the King's and Malty's lie and who constantly looked down on me because of it.

Hatred for Motoyasu, who allowed himself to be swayed by a pretty face and who had become their willing pawn. And who was now trying to take Raphtalia from me

But what spiked most of all was my undying hatred for Malty. The snake who had betrayed me, ruined my name, who belittled myself and Raphtalia every chance she got and who had now interrupted a fair fight for her petty grudge.

My feelings of hatred boiled over into the dark recesses of my soul, causing cracks to start forming there. As the cracks spread, infecting every part of my soul, a message popped up in my field of view which, despite the fact I was not paying attention, registered in my mind:

'_Requirements for Cursed Series met. Shield unlocked: Shield of Rage_'

I snapped, and let out a roar of unbridled fury which caused the arguments to stop as everyone turned to look at me, their eyes widening at the state I was in. My eyes were wildly glowing red, my whole body glowing with a rampaging crimson aura as my plain shield gave way to another Shield entirely, one that was of a black and gold plated design with sharp edges and a blood-red jewel glowing in its centre. I let out a smirk that the Devil would have been proud of, ready to unleash my wrath on everyone present, when all of a sudden, a single cry managed to pierce through the storm of my rage.

"FERGUS?! ANYBODY?! HELP ME, PLEASE!" "_RAPHTALIA!_"

My vision cleared slightly as I saw what was going on. Raphtalia was backing away fearfully from a group of guards who were approaching her, swords drawn and with malicious intent on their faces. As I watched this unfold, Raphtalia's words played out in my head, what she had said to me and to others:

"_I will always be by your side, no matter what people say about you."  
"I will never forgive any of you for what you have put him through!_"  
"_I will fight at your side, against the Wave and whatever comes after that._"  
And most prominently of all: "_ Please don't ever leave me, Fergus. Don't leave me alone! I want to stay with you forever._"

"_That's right! I promised her that I would always be by her side and that I would protect her! I can't let her down now!_" With a roar of defiance, I quelled the fires of my rage, and at that instant, the red aura faded and my Shield returned to normal as I sprinted in her direction. Realising I was not going to get there in time, I switched up to my Pipe Shield and yelled out for the Shield Prison, which instantly sprung up around the guards and kept them at bay as I got to Raphtalia's side. As the Prison faded, I brought up my Arm-Blade and, switching to my Shield of the First Avenger, faced down the guards, blocking them from getting to Raphtalia and snarling "Touch her and you die!"

"Did you all just see that? Wild animals, the pair of them! Put them down immediately!" Malty shouted out. As the guards closed in, and I brought my blade back ready to strike, a clear voice called out above the tumult

"EVERYONE STAND DOWN!" Everyone looked in the direction the voice had come from as Itsuki and Ren got to their feet. It had been Itsuki's voice which had called out and, as everyone quieted down, he continued. "Both Ren and I watched the duel very closely and from a completely objective standpoint. We both saw as clear as day the interference from Motoyasu's party member, Princess Malty, who fired a spell at the Shield-Hero's back with the intent of damaging him and thus giving Motoyasu a clear advantage."

"Do I have to repeat myself? I cast no such spell!" Malty cried back indignantly, whilst the King could only sputter with rage at the events going on. Motoyasu to his credit was completely befuddled at what was transpiring around him.

Malty's outburst, however, had no effect on Ren. "Keep trying to lie to yourself and all these people if you want Princess, we all saw what happened. As this was an action that would clearly have benefited the Spear-Hero, it definitely falls under the category of interference from an outside party. We even warned both competitors and their party-member before the duel began about the consequences of such an action. Therefore, as the only neutral parties in this whole affair…"

As Itsuki and Ren were speaking, I quickly gathered my thoughts. I could tell exactly what they were going to do. Even though they had believed Malty's story to begin with, both of them had remained completely neutral in the whole feud that had happened between me, Motoyasu, Malty and the King the previous evening. They had even allowed Raphtalia to stay in the arena. It was clear that whilst they didn't approve of my actions, they weren't out to deliberately harm me like the others were. And as such, I knew they would call the match from a completely neutral standpoint.

Which brought me to the other Hero, Motoyasu. Even though he was a brain-dead idiot, I really didn't want to believe that he had asked Malty to interfere on his behalf. After all, it was he who had challenged me to a duel in the first place, that surely meant he was confident of beating me fair and square. With this realisation, I knew what I had to do. I wanted to give Motoyasu one more chance to prove that he had a shred of honour within him.

As Ren was about to deliver the verdict and award me the match by disqualification, I suddenly spoke up. "WAIT!"

Everyone's gaze turned to me, some in exasperation, others in curiosity. Malty, however, was downright hostile. "Silence devil! No-one wants to hear from you any more!"

I, however, was in no mood to put up with her crap. "No, you shut up! Everyone here is tired of your stupidity! You ruined a duel for the ages for your own selfish gain, and now no-one will know how it would have ended. But I am not satisfied with that, I refuse to accept such a cheap victory!"

With this, I turned to Motoyasu, levelling him with a fierce glare. "Motoyasu, I want you to answer a simple question for me: Did you, or did you not, order your party-member to interfere in the match on your behalf?"

A deathly silence filled the air as everyone turned to Motoyasu who was completely flummoxed by my question. "W-What are you talking about? I didn't see her do anything! How could y-"

"Wrong answer!" I cut across furiously. "Everyone here saw it happen! But I can accept that you might not have seen it from your position so I will let that slide. Motoyasu…" and with this, my tone changed from anger to one of pleading, "…I want to believe that you wanted to settle this one-on-one, just the two of us, to really find out who the strongest is. I will ask you one more time Motoyasu, did you or did you not order Malty to interfere on your behalf? If you deny it, I am prepared to allow this duel to resume. If you don't, I am more than prepared to let Ren finish and award me the duel. What's it going to be Motoyasu?"

As I finished, I heard gasps of shock and disbelief from the audience. The King, Malty, Ren and Itsuki especially were all looking at me with confusion, as though struggling to believe that I wouldn't just accept the victory. Various mutters reached my ears, all disbelieving that I was really doing this. I ignored everyone, my gaze firmly locked on Motoyasu's face as he grimaced, obviously warring with himself. Eventually, he spoke up:

"I did not ask the princess to help me during the duel, and was completely unaware that she would do such."

I let out the satisfied breath I had been holding and turned to the Princess with a smirk. "Did you really have so little faith in your Hero's abilities that you took it upon yourself to cheat on his behalf and ruin a fair duel?" She glared back at me, her face apocalyptic with rage, but I ignored her as I looked over towards Ren and Itsuki. "I am satisfied. Please, restart the duel."

With a quick look and nod towards each-other, they agreed. Ren, however, had one more thing to add: "Very well, but should anybody interfere again on behalf of either party, they will be instantly disqualified."

Itsuki agreed with this. "Everyone but the Shield-Hero and the Spear-Hero clear the ring! The duel will resume in one minute!" Everyone rushed to do such, and soon enough it was just myself and Motoyasu once again, staring each other down.

§

The minute eventually passed by, and at the end of it, everyone was back in their places. Motoyasu and I were facing off again, just like at the duel's beginning. But this time, we were both clearly exhausted. The exertions from being under the effect of the Shield of Wrath had really drained me, whilst Motoyasu was still recovering from the damage I had inflicted just a few moments ago. Nevertheless, we were both determined to end this, once and for all. As Itsuki called out for the duel to resume, Motoyasu immediately sprung into action.

"Lightning Spear!" His spear became wrapped in electricity as he charged at me once again. I prepared to meet the attack, confident I could hold it off, and as it hit I immediately forced myself to push forward so as not to buckle under the power of the attack. The stalemate, Spear on Shield, lasted for a good while as we both strained to push the other back, which caused the electricity that had charged up to suddenly burst outward. This resulting explosion sent both myself and Motoyasu flying backwards.

I slowly struggled to my feet, the impact having taken a lot of the remaining energy I had out of me. I was completely at my limit here, even with the extra stamina provided by my workouts. And as I looked back across at Motoyasu, I could see he was in a similar state.

Our tired eyes met. We knew the end of the duel was approaching. Resolved to come over the victor, we both charged in once more. As we clashed over and over again, repeating the pattern that had started during the last round, it gave me time to ponder what the best outcome really was here.

And the conclusion I came to really shocked me. It was ludicrous. Some would even consider it insane on my part. But I knew it was the best outcome, for everyone involved. But for this to have the effect I wanted, I knew I had to put my faith in a few people. Could I really do that, given all that happened to me in the past few weeks? Could I really put my lack of trust aside, just for the chance for some people to prove that not everyone in this world was a complete asshole?

*_CLANG!*_ Faith in Raphtalia? That was easy. I knew I could rely on her. She had always been on my side ever since we met, and was positive she would have my back in this situation.

*_CLANG!_* Trust in the Mayor and his party? Yes, I believe I could. They had been forthright and honest with me ever since I had saved their village and told them my entire story, and they had supported me all the way through yesterday evening.

*_CLANGI_* Trust in the other Three Heroes? Surprisingly, yes. Somewhat. Ren and Itsuki were acting fair throughout this whole ordeal. If I did my bit, I was sure they would go along with it. And Motoyasu had shown he had some hope by admitting he didn't know about Malty's intervention. And if I explained things properly now, I'm sure he'd go along with it.

My mind was made up.

_*CLANG!_* At this clash, I made sure to lean in closer to Motoyasu's face and, in a low voice, quickly explained what I wanted from him. Motoyasu's eyes widened then narrowed. "Why should I believe that you'll go through with this?"

"You don't," I replied curtly, "but I am being sincere. If you don't take this opportunity, I will make sure to finish you off and claim a resounding victory for myself. Take this whilst you can!"

With this, we released the clash, before charging in again and clashing a few times more in the same manner as we had been doing previously. During one of the resulting clashes, Motoyasu found a reserve of energy and used it to push me back. As he did so, I feigned a stumble so as to make it look like I'd lost my balance. Seizing the opportunity, Motoyasu arced his Spear back and swept it at my ankles, which caused me to lose my balance completely and send me falling over on my back. Exactly as I had planned.

Planting both of his feet on my arms to hold back my weapons, Motoyasu aimed the point of his Spear so that the tip rested on my neck, calling out in a loud shout for me to yield. Glaring at Motoyasu, I tried for a few seconds to feign raising my arms, straining myself, before eventually falling back down. Looking Motoyasu dead in the eye, I nodded, signalling my defeat.

Motoyasu's eyes widened in astonishment as if he really didn't believe that I would go through with it. He quickly released me from my pinned predicament, and as I got to my feet I kept my gaze firmly locked on his. After a few seconds of silence, I turned to the assembled crowd and said the following two words that elicited gasps of shock from all around us.

"I yielded."

As the crowd struggled to recover, I turned and picked out the chief hunter of Lute Village in the crowd and called out to him. "Call the result." Quickly recovering from his own shock, the chief hunter stood up and proclaimed in a loud voice:

"The Shield-Hero has yielded the duel! The winner of the bout is the Spear-Hero, Sir Motoyasu!" As he was saying this, I made my way to Motoyasu's left side and, taking his left hand in my right, raised it high in victory. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause as Motoyasu raised both hands, basking in his victory whilst I stood there beside him, a small smile on my face.

I had got the outcome I had wanted, and as my gaze found the King and Malty, who were looking on with satisfied expressions, I knew it was now time for everyone else to play their part, unknowingly or not.

Motoyasu wasn't finished with me, however. As our arms lowered, he turned to me and asked bluntly. "Why?".

Leaning in, I muttered. "These people needed your victory more than mine. With this, your reputation stays intact, it may even grow because you finished the duel honourably and didn't allow it to be tarnished by your girlfriend's interference. My own reputation will recover slightly as the people saw that I allowed the duel to be ended on our terms, and accepted the resulting defeat graciously." I then gave him a fierce smile. "Don't worry, this will be our little secret. But remember this: I let you win."

With this I moved away, allowing Motoyasu to go and celebrate with Malty and the rest of his party. As he did so I felt a sudden force collide with my back. Looking behind me, I saw it was Raphtalia who was now clinging onto me tightly. "You okay there Raphtalia?"

She looked up at me with a sad smile. "I'm just happy to see you are okay Fergus. I'm sorry that you didn't win the duel." As she broke the hug and allowed me to turn around fully to face her, I responded by saying. "It's okay. I fought with everything I had but at the end of the day, the better man won."

As we were talking, Ren's voice could be heard above the cheers. "The outcome of the duel has been decided in Motoyasu's favour. As a result, Raphtalia will now have her slave crest removed. Is that understood Fergus?"

Raphtalia and I both turned and nodded towards Ren. "I will honour the agreed terms of the duel. Do as you wish." As the King excitedly called for the mages, I turned to look down at Raphtalia. She gave me a simple nod. As the mages entered the arena, Raphtalia walked forward to meet them, opening up her armour to reveal the slave crest. As everyone looked on, they got to work.

The process didn't take long, and as the crest faded I noticed Raphtalia's nameplate and bars fade from my Status menu. I gave them no heed, watching on neutrally as Raphtalia recovered from the ordeal. As I predicted, Motoyasu was quick to rush up to her and put his arm around her.

"You're free now Raphtalia. Come with us, we'll keep you safe." As he tried to escort her out of the arena, Raphtalia turned toward him and gave him a vicious slap right across his face! As Motoyasu looked on with shock and Malty tried to tell Raphtalia off her for actions, she cut across both of them with a vicious glare.

"I never asked for your help! I never even asked to be released in the first place! Get this through your heads: I will never join your party!" With this, she stomped over to the middle of the arena, only stopping to grab her sword from the guard who was holding onto it. As she approached me, I made sure to remain completely nonplussed on the outside, whilst my insides were doing a happy dance. Making sure she had everyone's attention, she spoke up in a loud voice to announce her decision.

"Now that I am a free being and bound to no master, I will decide my own fate, and no-one else has the right to tell me otherwise! My place, as it always has been, is at the side of the Shield-Hero, the man who freed me from slavery, who gave me food and medicine, who spent his own money and materials on making sure I had everything I wanted or needed, and who allowed me to fight and be at his side as an equal! For all of these reasons, and in gratitude for his continued kindness and selflessness, I will always fight at this side!"

"IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE YOU THOUGH!" Motoyasu cried out desperately. Raphtalia turns and gives him a cold stare. "Yes it does, because no-one else will. You all made sure of that! And I know Fergus will protect me from everyone who would try to harm me, especially from all of you!"

With this, she turns back to me, her serious expression giving way to a joyful one, which I'm sure is what I currently had on my own face. I knew she would come through for me! Raphtalia drew her sword and, plunging it into the ground in front of me, knelt down alongside it and in a tone worthy of a medieval knight, asked me the following:

"Fergus Ward, also known as the Legendary Shield-Hero, will you allow me, Raphtalia, to fight alongside you once more as your Sword?"

"_I didn't expect her to go this far! Still, this is really, really sweet of her. I can only respond in kind._" Quickly recovering from my surprise, I knelt down to her level and, putting my hand on her shoulder, responded in the same tone:

"I will. And will you, Raphtalia, allow me, the Shield-Hero Fergus Ward, to keep you safe and protect you from anyone who may do you harm?" Looking at me with a joyful expression, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, Raphtalia nods enthusiastically in response and, without hesitation, throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around me tightly. Instantly, my arms did the same, holding her tightly as we took comfort in each other's embrace.

"I always believed in you Fergus, and I will always continue to do so. From now until the end of time, my place is with you."

"As did I you Raphtalia, I never doubted you for a second. From now until the end, the two of us, against the world if need be."

As we held our embrace, I was only dimly aware of the reaction of everyone else. Most of the crowd was applauding the display, whilst the Mayor and his party let out a loud cheer at what had happened.

"Ugh, this is making me sick. Come on Sir Motoyasu, let's leave these animals to rut where they belong." Malty grimaced.

"Make sure the mages get compensated for their work here. And tell all the Heroes to come to the Throne Room in two hours' time." The King said with a resigned voice.

"B-B-But she's still brainwashed! How can all of you be accepting this?" Motoyasu cried out, clearly still in disbelief.

"Believe that all you want Motoyasu, but take a good look at her. That's all genuine, not the actions of a brainwashed individual." Ren responded

"Just accept your victory Motoyasu. You got what you wanted, and she made her own choice. Leave them be." Itsuki stated with the last word.

I barely paid them any attention. All that existed for me at this moment were myself and Raphtalia, two souls brought together in the most horrible of circumstances, and yet who had forged a bond stronger than any Legendary Weapon. We had come through the dragon's lair and picked up a few scars along the way, but our bond, instead of being severed as many had wished for, had been renewed and was now stronger than ever before.

**Here are the changes I made:**

**1\. Raphtalia being allowed to stay on the sidelines - Simple enough to explain: Malty was there, Raphtalia ought to be there too to make things even. I added in the bit about her sword getting removed as a guarantee she wouldn't interfere.**

**2\. Fergus' Arm-Blade - Inspired by Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. You know the blade that Ed transmutes onto his automail arm? That was the inspiration for the Arm-Blade**

**3\. Fergus' spell combination - That was inspired by HunterQwon's story which I mentioned in the author's note. I didn't want to lift it word for word so I put it in my own style.**

**4\. Fergus blocking the spell - I knew I wasn't going to have the duel end the same way as the anime did it. Raphtalia being there, of course she would call out a warning for Malty's interference.**

**5\. Fergus restarting the duel and intentionally losing to Motoyasu - Fergus is a very honourable person at heart. He wanted the duel to be a true one-on-one fight and was obviously incensed by Malty's interference. However, he knows Motoyasu isn't a fully horrible person, he's just being influenced by Malty, and wanted to give him a chance to show some redeeming qualities. This will affect things down the line, just not sure how yet. As for throwing the duel? It's just as I laid out in the story. Motoyasu's reputation would be saved, and would probably increase, whereas Fergus' would recover a little bit due to his honourable actions. Plus he had complete trust in Raphtalia and knew she would stay by his side even after the crest was removed. So everyone was happy in the end. Well except Malty and the King since Raphtalia had chosen to stay willingly.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this part of the story, and that the fight came off well. Next week will see us introduced to everyone's favourite big bird Filo. Hope to see you there! And thank you all again for your favourites, follows and reviews. And the 1 or 2 PM's I've received as well.**

**Until next time, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now **


	9. Ch 8 - Fowl Play

**Hope you all enjoyed the duel in the last chapter, and that the outcome was satisfactory. I really enjoyed writing it and I hope that was reflected in the story I was trying to tell.**

**Edward Elric (barging in): HEY! I want a word with you!**

**"If it isn't the Full Metal Alchemist himself! How can I help you, Mr Elric?"**

**Ed: You totally stole that Arm-Blade idea from me! I want compensation!**

"**Okay look, it was the first thing that came to mind and come on, you have to admit the way I did it was pretty ingenious. Besides, it's not like Fergus has a fully metallic arm himself so in that sense, I'm not completely copying you."**

**Ed: It was still my idea!**

"**Okay okay fine here." *I pass him a wad of cash.* "Use that to go and buy yourself some milk shorty."**

**Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT?! COME HERE! I'LL RIP OFF YOUR ARM AND STICK IT UP YOUR- *gets dragged away by a combination of Alphonse and Winry.***

**Well now that's been dealt with, did everyone enjoy the latest anime episode? Gotta say I am starting to like Melty a lot more than I first did, and that ending with some revelations about Raphtalia's past! Really looking forward to learning more next week.**

**With that said, I'm not going to lie, I wasn't as excited about writing these next few chapters as I was the ones before. I mean after all the excitement of the trial, the Wave and the duel between Fergus and Motoyasu, these next two chapters are a lot calmer, with the race and the introduction of Filo. I still did the best job I could with them, and as your reading this I will have finished chapter 9 as well. Which means the chapter after that will be the one with the rampaging plants where Fergus starts cleaning up everyone else's mess.**

**Once again thank you to everyone who has favourited and followed this story. Really can't believe I'm in the top 5 favourited and followed stories for Rising of the Shield Hero, and I am so glad so many of you are enjoying this. I promise I will do everything I can to keep this going as long as I am able.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward. The same with Full Metal Alchemist and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.**

Chapter 8 - Fowl Play

A couple of hours after the duel between myself and Motoyasu, we were all back in the throne room for the first time since we had initially set off on our journeys. I couldn't help but think about how far the four of us had come from the four strangers who had first arrived in this world. Now we really were Heroes, even if one of us was constantly being put down and messed with at any given opportunity. But I digress, that's not the point of why we were here. We had all gathered at the King's request to receive our rewards for fighting the Wave as well as our funds for the next month.

All of us facing the throne, we were lined up as follows from left to right: Motoyasu, Itsuki, Ren and myself. I imagine this was deliberate given the continued tensions between myself, Raphtalia, Motoyasu and Malty. Speaking of the two girls, Raphtalia was as usual by my side, whilst Malty was standing beside the throne, resuming her role as the princess just for this.

Whilst we waited for the King to address us, I noticed Motoyasu looked all clean and fresh. No doubt the King and Malty had made sure their chosen Hero looked all clean and presentable. In sharp contrast, I was still covered in dust and grime having not been given the opportunity to freshen up myself. Another petty slight by the King, but having never cared about the opinions of others, I paid it no mind.

The King cleared his throat and addressed the four of us. "We are gathered here to reward each of the Heroes for their courage and bravery in defeating the Wave, as well as providing them with funds for the next month. The rewards shall be as follows: Sir Motoyasu will be awarded 4000 silver pieces. Sir Ren will be awarded 3800 silver pieces. Sir Itsuki will also be awarded 3800 silver pieces. Lastly, the Shield-Hero will be awarded 500 silver pieces."

I could hear some chuckles from the king's advisers but I ignored them. Truthfully? I didn't expect any reward so I would take what I could. However, my mood wasn't improved by the King's next action. He reached out and grabbed my bag of silver, sneering down at me. "However, the mages who removed the slave-crest from the Shield-Hero's demi-human pet need to be compensated. As such, we will use the Shield-Hero's funds for that purpose."

I slapped my face with my palm, letting out a loud groan which caught everyone's attention. "Seriously, that's your next clever scheme? Trying to deny me my money? You know, for a King, you seem to have a really bad grasp on how the economy and business works."

Seeing that I had an attentive audience I continued. "Releasing Raphtalia wasn't my idea nor did I ever want it to happen. It was the condition that Motoyasu put up and the process was carried out by your mages. The only thing I did was agree to honour the result of the duel. If anything, the cost of removing the crest should be covered either by Motoyasu or out of Your Majesty's own funds. Furthermore, technically Raphtalia at the time was my property, and with your actions your forcibly caused me to lose my property, and as such I am entitled to compensation."

I heard a small giggle from beside me as Raphtalia leaned up and whispered something in my ear. I nodded, letting out a slight chuckle myself. "I initially purchased Raphtalia for 30 silver pieces when she was a small girl who was suffering from a cold and was criminally underfed. Comparing then to now she and I both agree that she is worth 30 once more, but this time in gold pieces. However, I know you won't give me that much, so I will instead accept the 500 silver as an acceptable amount for the time being."

The King lets out a snarl of anger. "My decision is final you ill-begotten criminal! You shall receive no funds whatsoever!"

"With respect, I protest this decision." I was just as surprised as everyone else to hear who had spoken up. It was Ren. "Concerning the duel that just occurred, Fergus accepted and fought the duel with honour, even letting it continue to the very end to save both his own and Motoyasu's honour when he could have very easily accepted a victory by disqualification due to the princess' interference and your willingness to ignore it entirely. At the very least, Fergus deserves compensation for fighting a duel that was so clearly rigged against him."

Malty stirs at this and looked ready to object once again, but Ren lifted a hand to stop her as he continued. "No-one here wants to hear you try and deny it any more. We all saw what happened so you have no leg to stand on." Malty glared at Ren but his eyes remained focus on the King.

I was still recovering from my surprise at Ren speaking on my behalf but wasn't given the chance to as Itsuki followed up. "Following the duel I had my own opportunity to talk to the Mayor of Lute Village and hear first-hand what Fergus did to defend the village. Instead of belittling Fergus, you should be thanking him for single-handedly keeping the casualties from the Wave in the single figures, given that some of your own knights abandoned that responsibility for their own glory. As such, I agree with Ren. Not only does Fergus deserve compensation, but he deserves far more than what you have given him."

A stunned silence followed Itsuki's words since no-one could quite believe that the reviled Shield-Hero had been defended by two of his fellow Heroes who had previously condemned him. Motoyasu, in particular, was looking their way in disbelief.

After a few seconds of silence, in which the King painfully considered these words, he eventually made his decision and threw the bag of silver my way. "In consideration of Sir Ren's and Sir Itsuki's appeal, the Shield-Hero may have his funds. Get him out of my sight, I will not suffer his filth in my throne room any longer."

Catching the bag, I gave him a sarcastic bow. "Thank you kindly for your generosity 'Your Highness'. You don't need to force us out, we'll be leaving this wretched hive of scum and villainy of our own volition." I turned to look at Raphtalia, who nodded in agreement. As we turned to leave, I addressed the other three Heroes. "I wish you three well for the month ahead, see you at the next Wave. As for everyone else here…" As Raphtalia and I started walking out, I raised my arm-blade point up and made sure it was facing back towards everyone. If they were smart enough, they would realise I was giving them the middle finger but I was beyond caring what they thought. I made doubly sure of this by raising the middle finger of that hand anyway, chuckling away to myself as we reached the throne room doors.

§

As we were leaving the palace, we saw the Mayor's party and the soldiers with them preparing to leave. Raphtalia and I shook each of their hands, thanking them profusely for everything they had done for us. They waved it off, saying it was the right thing to do, and reminded us that we would always be welcome in the village and hoped to see us there soon. I agreed, saying we would pop over for a visit after our business here in the capital.

As we parted ways, I turned back to Raphtalia to say where we were going next but upon seeing her expression I paused. She was biting her lips as though she was giving something serious thought. I asked her what was on her mind.

She turned to me, still slightly nervous but had enough courage to speak up. "Fergus, can I ask something of you?"

I smiled at her. "You can ask me for anything. Do you need something in particular?"

She looked once in every direction, making sure no-one could hear her, before turning back to me with a determined expression. "Can we go back to the man you purchased me from? I want to have my slave-crest reapplied."

"_Wait, WHAT?_" Of all the things I had expected her to ask from me, this wasn't one I was prepared for. "Why would you want that? Wouldn't you much prefer to be free?" I asked hesitantly.

Raphtalia shook her head. "If it helps, don't think of this as me being your slave once more, but rather me bearing the crest as a symbol of the bond of trust between us."

I strode forward and placed my hands on her shoulders, looking down at her determinedly. "You don't need to do that to prove your trust in me, I already have complete faith in you." But she looked back at me with a pleading expression. "I know that. But please, trust me when I say this is what I want."

I gave it some thought. I really didn't want to put her through that again, but she seemed to know what she was getting into. Plus, after everything she had done for me during the duel, it was only fair that I give her what she wanted as a show of gratitude. So, with a reluctant sigh, I nodded in agreement. "Okay, but know that I don't like this."

She smiled at me and clasped my hands in hers. "Thank you, Fergus. This really means a lot to me." With our next course of action decided, we headed in the direction of the slave trader's tent. Whilst on our way there, I took my pack back from Raphtalia and replaced my Arm-Blade gauntlet with my original one.

§

Thankfully I was able to remember the way to the trader's dwellings. As we brushed through the entrance-way, I called out a quick greeting, which was soon followed the sound of footsteps as the trader made his way over. His curious expression turned to one of glee as he saw who it was. "My my, it is good to see that my favourite customer is doing well. I was so happy to hear that you had survived the Wave. After all, it would have been a shame to lose such an infamous client."

"I wish I could say the feeling was mutual, but it does look as though you've been doing well for yourself Tubs," I replied, deliberately slighting his appearance.

He chuckled in response. "I see the Wave didn't take away that razor-sharp wit you have there. But since we know each other so well, I'd much rather you call me by my name, Beloukas."

I strode up to him and gave him my fiercest glare, to which he gulped and made to move a step back, as though fearing I would start choking him out again. But after a few seconds, my expression changed to that of a rueful grin. "It's a sad state of affairs when one of the few people I can trust is a damn slave-trader. Alright Beloukas, it's a deal."

"Excellent choice." He gushed, before turning his gaze to Raphtalia. "And this is the slave you bought from me. I must say Shield-Hero, you've done a fine job looking after her."

Raphtalia frowned at him no doubt the memories of her time in his care were still fresh. "As much as I didn't want to ask anything of you ever again, I want you to do something for us. I want you to reapply my slave crest." To his credit, Beloukas was as stunned by Raphtalia's request as I had been, and turned to me for clarification. In answer to his unspoken request, I gave him a quick run-down of the events of last night and this morning.

As I finished my story, his expression changed back into its natural state of greed. "You weren't far wrong with the price Shield-Hero. If you want, I would happily pay 30 gold to take her back off your hands."

"No deal," I responded instantly. "Raphtalia isn't my slave any more; she is now my friend and comrade, and I wouldn't give her up for any price. Just do as she asks." Grumbling to himself, Beloukas got to work. As he re-applied the crest to a willing Raphtalia, I used my Shield to absorb the remaining ink that he had prepared for the ritual. I instantly got a notification along with the confirmation that Raphtalia was bound to me once again, saying that I had unlocked the Slave Trainer Shield. This would provide Raphtalia and any other slaves a small bonus to their experience gain as well as their stats.

As Beloukas and Raphtalia finished up, I couldn't help but notice an open box with a myriad of eggs inside them. Noticing where my gaze had gone, Beloukas let out another smarmy grin. "If you're interested, this particular box is what's called a Monster Box raffle, and for only 100 silver pieces you, my valued customer, get to pick any egg you want. At the very least, the egg will hatch into a creature known as a Filolial, which will help you get around the realm a lot faster, but if you are incredibly lucky, you might pick the egg that will hatch into a Dragon, which if you raise it right will not only be a mount but a formidable ally in battle."

"_So regardless of which one I choose, I will at the very least acquire a pet to add to my party which can serve as both a mount and as an ally in battle_." Seeing my obvious interest, Beloukas decided to sweeten the deal with his next offer. "If you choose to enter, I will waive the entire cost of re-applying the slave crest to your friend here."

"I don't know Master Fergus. 100 silver is a lot of money, should we really be wasting it on a game of chance?" Raphtalia asked me worriedly.

"If we weren't doing so well in terms of money, I'd agree with you," I responded. "However, due to all the grinding we've been doing, as well as the reward money we just got from the King, we have more than enough funds. So 100 silver isn't a huge loss. Besides, if what he's saying is true, the creature that hatches from it could prove to be very useful to us."

Seeing the logic of my argument, Raphtalia conceded the point. With this, I turned back to Beloukas and offered him my hand. "You're a good businessman. It's a deal." After handing over the 100 silver, I picked an egg out of the box at random. With that out of the way, Raphtalia and I made our way out, but not before we had to hear Beloukas say that he was looking forward to our next visit.

§

"So where are we heading now?" Raphtalia asked me as we headed back into the main part of the city.

"I have one more stop to make, then we'll be heading to Lute Village. After the past day or two, we could do with some days of relaxation." I responded, making a beeline for the herbalist's store since I needed to restock on my herb supply.

As we entered, the herbalist and I exchange polite greetings and I requested what herbs I was after. As we were sorting out payment, the herbalist suddenly piped up. "Seeing you reminds me of something I wanted to thank you for. I have relatives over in Lute Village whose lives you saved. It's not much but I want you to have this as well, as my way of saying thanks." He then proceeded to hand over a book, which was labelled as an intermediate book on potion making. I thanked him for the gift, knowing it would come in very handy.

"I'm glad I was able to help Shield-Hero," the herbalist said, dismissing my thanks. "But before you leave the capital, you should pop in to see the owner of the Magic Shop. I believe she wants to thank you for the same reason."

Since this wasn't too far out of the way I agreed and, along with Raphtalia, we headed straight over there. As we entered the store, we were greeted by an almost overwhelming aura of mysticism and incense, the walls completely littered with spell books, tomes, caster equipment and other various knick-knacks that I knew I wouldn't ever be able to comprehend. As we were looking around, the owner of the store, a wizened old lady, came out and greeted us. "Ah, the Shield-Hero and his companion, welcome to my store."

I gave a polite bow in her location as Raphtalia curtsied. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am. The herbalist told us that you wanted us to come over. How may we help?" I responded politely.

"My my so well-mannered. It really is the opposite of what everyone else wants us to believe about you." The lady said with a smile. "I wanted to thank you personally for saving my grandson's life at Lute Village. If you follow me to the back, I have a few things that may be of benefit to you both."

Exchanging a quick glance with Raphtalia, we both nodded and follow her to the back, where a crystal ball was set up on a small table surrounded by a few cushions. She gestured us to take a seat as she sat behind the crystal ball and started waving over it. After a few seconds, she looked over at us.

"This crystal ball allows one to discern what kind of magic an individual is capable of casting. In terms of yourself Shield-Hero," she said, turning her gaze to me. "You have a rare affinity for both healing and support magic. And for your companion," with this, she turned her gaze back to Raphtalia. "She has affinities for both light and dark magic, but I would recommend she learn illusion magic as well."

I am so glad the herbalist recommended we came here since this was all going to be extremely useful for us! If what this lady said was true, I could be a hybrid tank and healer at the same time, protecting my party from harm as well as keeping them healed. And in addition to her natural affinity for the sword, Raphtalia could now mix in various schools of magic to her arsenal, making her unpredictable to her opponents. I rose and gave another bow. "Ma'am, you have given us a gift we are unworthy of. There is no possible way I could ever compensate you for this."

"Think nothing of it, this is my way of saying thank you after all!" She chuckles in response as she hands me a thick book. "This is a grimoire, in it, you will find various useful spells that will benefit you both as long as you study up and memorise the incantations! I wish I could give you a crystal ball so that you could learn the spells instantly, but this is my only one and I rely on it for my livelihood."

"Of course not! We would not want you to give up your livelihood" Raphtalia exclaimed reassuringly.

The lady then addressed me once again "I am actually quite surprised you don't have a crystal ball already Shield-Hero. After all, the royal family did purchase a whole bunch of them for the Heroes' use."

"No doubt the King gave one to each of the Heroes except myself." I sighed, facepalming once more. "One more way for him to mess me around no doubt." As I was saying this, I was casually browsing through the first few pages of the grimoire. "Damnit, I can't understand any of what's written here, which is odd because I can understand the language everyone speaks here no problem thanks to my Shield's auto-translation function."

"Looks like you have work to do then Shield-Hero. Not only to learn the spells but the language they are written in as well. I'll be rooting for you!" The lady said with a grin and a thumbs up. Raphtalia then piped up. "He won't be alone, I want to learn the language and the spells as well!"

Seeing as I was surrounded by overwhelming positivity, I couldn't help but join in. "If we do it together, we'll get it cracked in no time whatsoever!" Filled with determination, Raphtalia and I bid farewell to the owner who wished us well on our travels. As we left the store and headed towards the gates, I couldn't help but be pleased with our dealings today. I had been able to restock on herbs, acquire a grimoire and gambled on an egg which would no doubt hatch soon into a powerful companion. And best of all, we had learned that Raphtalia and I were able to learn various schools of magic, which had given us a goal for the next wave: Learn all the spells possible!

Buoyed by this glut of useful information, we made our way to Lute Village, and whilst on our way there Raphtalia and I made a plan: We would spend the days doing casual grinding, and then in the evenings we would retire and study the grimoire, taking it slow so that we got everything right. Luckily we had a month so we had plenty of time to learn everything we could. As for the egg, it would hatch when it hatched and we would take it from there.

Our arrival in the village was greeted with a joyous atmosphere. Surrounded by a crowd of villagers, the Mayor welcomed myself and Raphtalia personally and showed us our lodgings for the duration of our stay. As the day was almost done, we decided to turn in early and recover from the exertions of the last day or two.

Whilst Raphtalia hopped into the bed and started reading the Grimoire, I proceeded to unpack our belongings. As I was doing so, I suddenly heard a small cracking sound and, looking up, gasped as I saw the egg I had purchased was starting to hatch. I called Raphtalia over as more cracks started to form, and before long a chunk fell off the top and out of it popped a tiny head, looking around dazedly as it got its first looks at the new world.

Raphtalia and I swiftly pried the rest of the egg open and before long we were staring at the new arrival. It resembled a chick from my reality, but was completely covered in white feathers, and proceeded to bounce around happily before landing on my head.

"Look at how cute she is! And look, she seems to think you are her mother!" Raphtalia couldn't help but gush at our ecstatic new arrival.

I couldn't help but chuckle, the chick's infantile happiness rubbing off on me too. "Well then, I guess I should start raising it right then! I'll give it some food now, and then we'll stock up tomorrow. No doubt she'll be a hungry little thing. And we'll also need to give her a name."

§

You know, I had always imagined what it would be like to be a parent, having grown up with my own of course. My father was strict but had the best intentions, whilst my mother was beyond caring and a good cook to boot. I always envisioned that I'd be a good father and raise my kid right.

I have to say, having my first real experience of being a parent be raising a Filolial chick was, of course, different than raising a human child, but it was so much fun all the same! Over the past two days, Raphtalia and I had done our usual grinding, but this time with an accompanying feathered friend, and in the evenings we could come back and divide our time between studying the grimoire and looking after the Filolial. But the biggest surprise was how much it had grown! After the first day, it had grown to the size of a peacock, but after day two she had really grown and was now the size of an ostrich! Given that she was large enough now to ride, I took her out in the evening of the second day and, with Raphtalia and some of the villagers watching curiously, gave her a test run.

Let's just say I was not ready for how fast she was! Much to Raphtalia's concern and the villagers' amusement.

"She really has grown so much hasn't she Master Fergus?" Raphtalia's words pulled me out of my thoughts as we were standing in the village stables. Given how big she was getting, the Mayor had allowed us to use one of the stalls for our companion, who was currently chomping down another bucket of food.

"She really has, and most of that is probably due to the new Shield I unlocked after she hatched," I replied, equipping the Demon Trainer Shield III. I'd first absorbed the remains of the Filolial's egg after it had hatched, giving me the original Shield, and then as I'd absorbed some of her feathers over the next two days, I had unlocked the second and third versions respectively. Smiling gently, I reached over and stroked the bird warmly, who let out a sigh of contentment at my touch. "You're a big strong girl now aren't you Filo?"

"I still can't believe that's the name you chose for her Fergus," Raphtalia said with a chuckle. "It's the most unoriginal name you could think of."

"I am the King of Unoriginal Raphtalia," I proclaimed with a dramatic bow. "And she seems to like it, so Filo it is." As we continued to chuckle away at this, we started noticing a few villagers dashing towards the town gates, whispering amongst themselves. And then I heard a loud commotion from that direction. Something was going on.

"Wonder what's happening out there?" I muttered to myself. Waving for Raphtalia and Filo to follow, we left the stables and made our way towards the entrance to the village, where a large group of the villagers had gathered and who were currently facing down the new arrivals with disapproving glares. Following their gaze, I saw who it was, and gave myself the biggest facepalm in the world. "You have to got to be kidding me!"

The soldiers guarding the village were currently facing off against a squad of knights from the capital. Standing off to one side was Motoyasu, who was grinning contentedly to himself. And just when I thought my luck couldn't get any worse, the Queen of Lies herself stood on a raised outcrop of earth and was currently brandishing a scroll.

"Due to his bravery in combating the Wave, the King has decreed that Sir Motoyasu be given lordship over this region, effective immediately!" As the villagers gasped and started muttering to themselves at this news, Malty continued. "As per his first decree, there will now be a toll of fifty silver for anyone wishing to enter and leave this village! These funds shall be used to help rebuild your village."

This set the villagers off, who raised their fists and yelled angrily at her. Sensing this was going to get out of hand, I waved for Raphtalia and Filo to come with me and started threading my way through the crowd. As I was doing so, the Mayor came to the front of the crowd and tried to calm them down before turning to Malty. "Please reconsider this Princess, and you Spear-Hero," he pleaded. "None amongst have that sort of money, you'd be asking us to starve just to enter our village!"

"Silence you pathetic fool!" Malty snapped back, glaring down at the Mayor. "You dare disobey a royal decree?"

"The only pathetic one here is you Malty." I had finally made my way to the front of the crowd, who started cheering at my arrival as I proceeded to level Malty with a hate-filled gaze. "So this is how you next planned to get back at me, by bringing misery and suffering on innocent people? You really are the scum of the earth." I then turned my gaze to Motoyasu, who seemed taken aback by my arrival. "And you're going along with this? You really are a sorry excuse for a Hero Motoyasu."

As Motoyasu looked away, not sure how to respond, Malty's rage turned fully in my direction. "You dare show your face again criminal? Why can't you just go away and save everyone from your filth! In fact, on behalf of the new lord of this village, I am commanding you to leave! NOW!"

"You do not command me Malty, nor do I or anyone here accept your decree. I happen to be very fond of the people of this town, who have taken me in and treated me better than anyone here has so far. In thanks for their kindness, I will protect them from anyone that would threaten their lives, especially from the likes of you." As Malty snarled at my defiance, I now turned to Motoyasu. "So then Motoyasu, seeing as you are apparently going to be the new lord of this village, let's see how much you know about it. Tell me, do you know how much it costs for a night's stay at the inn?"

Motoyasu stiffens at my enquiry, before shaking his head. I let out a sigh of frustration. "For your information, the price of a single night here is one silver, with meals included. And now you intend to tax these civilians a hundred times this just for entering and leaving the village. Do you know what this taxation will lead to? Poverty and starvation. And you know what poverty and starvation lead to? Revolution. Tell me Motoyasu, since you were so happy to lecture me about how a Hero should conduct himself the other day, is this really the behaviour expected of one of them?"

Motoyasu looked stunned at this revelation whilst Malty, to my immense satisfaction, looked ready to burst a blood vessel after my little speech, which had prompted cries and cheers of agreement. She suddenly raised a hand, and at this signal, the guards accompanying her readied their weapons and pointed them at the villagers.

"YOU COWARD!" I roared, raising my Shield as Raphtalia drew her sword and Filo let out a growl, pumping herself up as we spread ourselves in front of the terrified villagers. "Leave these innocent people alone!" Malty gave me a sneer and was just about to lower her hand when a sudden swell of movement stopped everyone in their tracks.

Multiple figures in dark cloaks had jumped down from what seemed to be out of nowhere and were now knelt in between our group and Malty's entourage. The leader lifted her head up. "Princess Malty," she said in a formally blunt manner. "I trust you remember who we are?"

For the first time in a long while, Malty was completely flabbergasted, which was only good news for me. These people were obviously no friends to her. She eventually managed to stammer out a reply. "What are you doing here?"

The leader said nothing for a few seconds, and then she handed her a scroll. "For you." She said simply. As Malty read the scroll, her face went from confusion to anger. As this was happening, Raphtalia whispered the following in my ear. "Do you know who these people are Fergus?"

I shook my head. "I haven't a clue, but whoever they are, they must be important to have our resident bitch here so worried." As I replied, I saw Malty start to tremble, before she raised a shaky finger and pointed it directly at me. "Shield-Hero! For the right to rule this village, you and Sir Motoyasu will face-off in a race!"

A race? Seriously? That was her next hair-brained scheme? I was about to refuse, seeing it as a pointless exercise, but upon seeing the pleading looks of the villagers, my heart softened. I levelled my gaze back towards Malty and Motoyasu. "The title doesn't interest me, but if it stops you from running roughshod over these people, then I accept!"

§

As I was getting Filo ready for the start of the race, she suddenly let out a cry of anger, her eyes lit with rage. I turned in the direction she was looking, and couldn't help but raise my eyebrows as Motoyasu led his mount over toward us. Seemed he had lucked out because he was leading over an armoured dragon, which snorted in response to Filo's anger.

"So it's true then. Dragons and Filolials really don't like each other." Raphtalia commented. "Good," I responded. "That'll just give Filo here even more determination to win now, right Filo?" Filo let another cry, this one of determination.

"Really? You plan on trying to beat my dragon with that thing?" Motoyasu asked mockingly. "There's no way you'll be able to keep up with-" THWACK! Whatever Motoyasu was going to say further was cut off viciously as Filo spun and with one swift kick to the balls sent Motoyasu flying! As he landed in a pile of hay, myself and Raphtalia couldn't help but burst into laughter. As we were doing so, I gave Filo another affectionate rub. "You know what Filo? I think we are all going to get along really well!" I told her, which she responded to with another happy noise.

After giving Motoyasu a few minutes to recover, we eventually took our places at the start-line. Raphtalia and Malty both wished their respective Heroes luck as the Mayor explained that the race would take place around the outskirts of the village and would last three laps. After checking we both understood, he raised his arm and then after a few seconds, lowered it quickly with a cry of "BEGIN!"

I told Filo to give it everything she could, and boy did she and then some as we raced out into an early lead. Make no mistake, Motoyasu's dragon was no slowpoke, but Filo was a bird on a mission as we pounded around the village on our first lap. For my part, I kept an eye on the terrain in front of us, trusting Filo to run her own race. And I'm glad I did because just as we were about to turn the corner onto the home stretch, a pit suddenly opened up in front of us!

"FILO! Slow down and avoid!" Filo instantly responded, going into a controlled skid and swerving onto a nearby outcropping of earth. Even though we had avoided the pit, it had really killed our momentum, whereas Motoyasu and his dragon had zero such issues. Just as we were getting back up to speed, they shot past us towards the start/finish line.

"_Of course the damn bitch would resort to cheating, she just doesn't know when to stop!_" I thought angrily to myself as I urged Filo on. Filo let out a fierce cry of determination as we passed the start/finish line a couple of seconds after Motoyasu, and before I knew it we had passed him once again.

As we got to the same point on the second lap, I kept a very careful eye on the terrain and activated my Rope Shield just in case we needed to jump over another pit. Unfortunately, I underestimated the wiliness of Malty and her cronies, as this time around I saw a sudden purple glow come over Filo. Even though she appeared to be moving at full pace, her actual speed dramatically slowed, and for a few seconds, all we could do was move at a snail's pace as Motoyasu overtook us once again.

"_A speed-down curse! Sneaky fuckers changing up their tactics!_" "Okay Filo these cheaters are really pissing me off! Let's make sure they don't prevail!" She didn't need any encouragement as she rapidly got back up to full tilt as we started the final lap. We stretched out our lead once again and as we came up to the final turn before the final charge, I looked out for any traps or signs of a debuff being applied, but nothing happened.

"_That's odd, why haven't-_" My thoughts got interrupted as I heard a frenzied pounding of feet from behind us. I looked behind us and saw with shock Motoyasu and his dragon bearing down on us with an impossible burst of speed. But as they passed us I noticed a faint golden glow surrounding them. "_Their last card, a speed-up spell…they can speed up all they like but we can win this!_" "FILO! Full speed ahead! YOU! CAN! WIN! THIS!" Fire seemed to spew from Filo as she found a burst of speed. As the line came closer and closer we pulled level with our opponents and we managed to pull ahead just as we crossed the line! We'd done it! We had beaten Motoyasu AND overcome Malty's cheating at the same time!

"The winner of the race is the Shield-Hero!" The mayor called out as everyone in the village cheered at the outcome.

§

After the race had finished, Filo's momentum carried us a fair way past the finish line but eventually, she was able to slow down and turn around, carrying us back to where everyone was gathered. As I hopped off Filo, I was immediately swarmed by both Raphtalia and a group of happy villagers who all tried to thank me at once.

"Please stop everyone, you're embarrassing me!" I tried to wave off but I was laughing and smiling at their joy. "If you really want to thank anyone, thank Filo, she won the race for us, isn't that right Fi-?" *POOF!* As I was reaching to stroke her, she suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke before reappearing instantly. Only now she had grown in size once more. She now looked like a large fluffy owl on legs. But as she looked down at me and let out a happy cry, I knew it was still the same old Filo. As everyone moved to give her a stroke, our moment of joy was soon interrupted. See if you can guess who it was?

"YOU CHEATER! Nobody here knew of your pet's final transformation, which you used to claim an unfair advantage!" Yup Malty just couldn't leave well enough alone.

I turned to face her with an exasperated sigh. "The race is over now so why does it matter? Besides, it's really rich for you to accuse me of cheating when you just can't seem to stop doing it."

"Hmph, I have no idea what you are talking about." Malty huffed, folding her arms. But her response was cut short by the same mysterious cloaked figures who had appeared earlier. "The Shield-Hero isn't wrong," their leader spoke up. "The course was littered with magic, magic that was cast by the magic-users in your party."

Malty tried to deflect the accusation. "Nonsense! If any magic was used, it was obviously by the Shield-Hero to give himself an advantage!" "_Does she really think anyone will believe that?_" I thought to myself amusedly.

"Incorrect princess." The leader said sharply. "The Shield-Hero's magic is healing and support-based, whilst the magic of his companion is light and dark-based."

"_How the heck did they know that?_" I thought to myself with alarm as she continued. "The magic that we detected around the course were of affinities that both the Shield-Hero and his companion are weak against. The only people who could cast such spells, as we said earlier, are yourself and the other magic-users you have brought here."

Oh how the mighty have fallen! I couldn't help but let out a joyous burst of laughter as Malty's face looked fit to burst with anger and embarrassment. I decided to twist the screw in a bit further. "The more you try and cheat, the more like a buffoon you look! You should really stop before your idiocy gets you killed." Unable to respond, Malty and her guards stomped off as she swore vengeance upon me.

"The only reason you were able to win is that I let you!" I turned my head to see Motoyasu stumbling past, shame and embarrassment plastered across his face. I then leaned in and whispered in response. "If that's the case, that makes us even now. Now run along like a good boy." Grimacing to himself, Motoyasu took his leave along with the rest of his party.

As I watched Motoyasu leave, the Mayor came up to me with a relieved expression on his face. "Once again you have come to our aid and kept us safe. If there is anything we can give you, please let us know." I waved him off, telling him that I didn't want any reward and that besides they had done more than enough for me by being at my side at the celebration the other night. The Mayor tried to insist but I stubbornly refused.

All of a sudden I felt a tapping on the top of my head. Looking up, I saw Filo was pecking my head in an attempt to get my attention. "What's up Filo?" I asked. In response, she lifted a wing and pointed it off to the side. As we followed where her wing pointed, we saw a worn-out abandoned cart parked up nearby one of the buildings.

"I think your Filolial is onto something." The Mayor stated, scratching his chin in thought. "That's it! If we fix up the cart and give you some starting supplies, you could go throughout the kingdom as a travelling trader. You could make yourself a small fortune in a matter of days!"

Well, that was something I hadn't thought of before! But as I considered it, I suddenly saw all the benefits to it. It would keep us out of reach of the Royals for now and would allow us to explore new parts of the realm and meet various people, and possibly help them out if they needed it. Between selling goods and grinding monsters, we could amass a fortune and build up a good reputation at the same time! "How does that sound to you both?" I asked, looking over at Raphtalia and Filo.

"It would be nice to help as many people as possible. And if we can mend your reputation at the same time, I think it's a great idea." Raphtalia replied, whilst Filo let out a caw of delight which I took as her agreement.

Seeing as our course was decided, the villagers set to work in repairing the cart. Seeing as it would take a few hours, the three of us decided to relax until then. Before we dispersed, the Mayor helped us out one more time by handing me a merchant's pass, which he said would exempt us from any tolls.

§

"BLEEAGGGHH! I'm sorry to ask Master Fergus, but could we please stop for a bit?"

After the villagers had fixed up the cart for us, we had gotten Filo hooked up to the front of it and, bidding farewell to everyone, set off at a good pace. Filo seemed to be absolutely loving this new experience, as all I could hear from her as we were travelling were sighs and hums of contentment. In sharp contrast, Raphtalia's face had turned slightly green as we'd started our trip, resorting to taking refuge in the cart itself. Evening was starting to fall when Raphtalia spoke up.

I turned to look at Raphtalia and was startled to see how pale and sickly she looked. "Why didn't you say anything earlier? Filo! Stop the cart! We'll camp here for the night!" Filo gave an affirmative cry and pulled over to the side of the trail, parking the cart underneath a tree. As we stopped, I immediately hopped down and made my way to the back of the cart. Looking inside, I saw Raphtalia all curled up on herself.

"_Travel sickness. Poor thing._" With these thoughts, I picked Raphtalia up and took her out of the cart to rest against a tree. As she started to breathe easier, I unhitched Filo from the carriage and then set out about making a fire. Once that was done, I made a space beside it and carried Raphtalia over to it, making sure she was comfortable.

"I'm sorry to be such a burden, Master Fergus." She piped up disconsolately. I shook my head in reply. "You aren't a burden Raphtalia, after all, I promised to look after you remember?" Her face immediately turned red in response and she hurriedly looked back to towards the fire. I asked if she was running a fever as well but she shook her head frantically, saying she was fine. Choosing not to press it further, I took a seat nearby and started making some supper.

"Filo looks really happy doesn't she?" Raphtalia piped up once again, I followed her gaze to our fluffy companion, who was looking between us with a look of expectancy. Now that we weren't travelling, I wasn't surprised that her main focus was now food. I chucked in response. "I'm glad both of you are happy."

With that, we lulled into silence as I prepared some dinner for us. Once we had finished, Raphtalia eventually curled up in her sleeping bag and quickly dozed off. Filo moved right next to me before doing the same herself. As for myself, I continued to tend to the fire for a while but eventually found myself unwittingly falling asleep as well.

§

"FERGUS! WAKE UP FERGUS!" Raphtalia's frantic cries roused me from my sleep. I wearily opened my eyes and stretched myself up fully before looking over to Raphtalia to ask what was wrong. Seeing her panicked expression, I looked down to where she was looking and immediately did a double-take. Where Filo had fallen asleep the night before was instead a small girl, no older than a child, with long blonde hair and with folded wings on her back.

And she was naked. Crap! I instantly averted my eyes as I backed up rapidly.

"What's going on here Fergus? Where's Filo?" Raphtalia asked me frantically.

"I have no idea! I'm as shocked as you are!" I replied back, equally confused.

"Ahhhhhh." Our argument was instantly halted as the girl woke up, having been disturbed by the sounds of our bickering. As she came to, she looked between us confusedly. As her gaze fell on me, her face broke out into an expression of childlike delight. "Good morning Master Fergus! I hope you slept well! Have you got some food? I'm really hungry!" She said with childish glee.

"_Hang on a minute! Master Fergus? And she doesn't seem at all confused as to where she is…could it really be?_" "FIlo? Is that you?"

**And that's the end of that chapter. No major changes to speak of, the only one I can really think of is that Fergus was able to get some jabs in at the King. At this point, they know that it's pointless to stop Fergus from talking as he'll just speak out regardless. They figure it's best to just let Fergus have his say and then deal with it afterwards.**

**Thank you for all for reading, and I will see you all in the next chapter as our party goes on an adventure, all in order to make a dress for Filo!**

**Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now**


	10. Ch 9 - A Merchant's Life

**I don****'t think the author's note is going to be very long this time. I didn't really have any ideas for a cameo so with that I think I'll go straight into-**

**Eren Jaeger: Don't forget that the next part of Attack on Titan Season 3 starts next week**

"**Ah Eren, good to see you. I thought you guys were on your way back to your home town?"**

**Eren Jaeger: Yeah we're almost there and the others said I could come into your story and advertise. Plus I heard you based your character off of me, and I was intrigued**

**"Yeah well, it's a good look. I can't spoil you any more. Thanks for coming on Eren."**

**As Eren so kindly reminded me, the second half of Season 3 of Attack on Titan starts again next weekend. I cannot wait. AoT is very special to me as it's the first anime I ever got into and I still enjoy it up to this day**

**Speaking of anime, what an emotional episode of Rising of the Shield Hero as we got into best waifu Raphtalia's back story. I almost shed a tear, no doubt in my mind any more that Raphtalia is ultimate waifu.**

**Once again I want to shout out the following two stories: ChsisAnialation's "Fear of the Kingdom" and zinmaster24's "From Soldier to Hero", would recommend giving those a read if you are liking this. Speaking of which, thank you again for all the love. Every favourite, follow and review is appreciated.**

**With that, onto the chapter! As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 9- A Merchant's Life

"Filo? Is that you?"

"Of course it is Master Fergus! Who else would it be?" The small girl cries out happily.

"But how is this possible? You've gone from a giant bird to a small girl overnight!" Raphtalia exclaimed.

"Oh, I guess I must have transformed during the night, sorry if I startled you," Filo replied

"I have several questions as to what's going on right now, and I know exactly where we need to go to get some answers," I called out emphatically. "Okay girls, let's cook us up some breakfast, and then we're heading back to the capital. I need to have some words with a certain slave trader…" Both of them agreed to this change of events and, after a swift breakfast, we hitched Filo back up to the cart and set off once more. However, I made sure to tell Filo to take it gently so as not to aggravate Raphtalia's travel sickness.

§

Filo's gentle pace was still good enough to see us back at the capital within a few hours, and I immediately guided her in the direction of Beloukas' tent. Once we arrived, I unhitched Filo and led both her and Raphtalia through the entrance and into the central area where he was currently loitering. Upon hearing our footsteps, Beloukas turned around, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw who it was. "Ah Shield-Hero, I didn't expect you back here so swiftly! And you've got a Filolial as well, I hope you are satisfied with-"

"Explain. Now." I cut across him whilst pointing at Filo, my early rude awakening not helping my mood whatsoever.

"I'm not sure what you mean Shield-Hero, the Filolial looks well enough to me!" He responded in a clueless tone. I looked over at Filo and nodded, watching Beloukas' expression carefully as Filo transformed from her avian form back into the small girl As she did so, Beloukas' expression lit up with glee as he stared hungrily at Filo. "Well well Shield-Hero, you really have lucked out! You have yourself a Filolial Queen!" He moves forward to have a closer look at Filo who instinctively shrinks back, but finds his path blocked by a stern-looking Raphtalia. "Tell us more." My demi-human companion stated coldly.

"Okay okay no need to get upset," Beloukas relents. "Filolials travel in flocks which are usually led by monarchs, either a Filolial King or Filolial Queen. The monarchs are highly skilled at transforming and can disguise themselves as regular Filolials to hide amongst the flock, as well as being able to take human form "

"Okay, that explains why we suddenly found her as a small girl. Is there anything else you can tell us?" I asked.

"Well in order to tame a Filolial monarch, you have to brand it with a very powerful slave crest. I can do that for you but…" And with this, his expression turned greedy once more. "…it will be very expensive."

I shook my head in disgust at his greed. "Money is no issue, just do it."

Soon enough, with Filo now back in her Filolial form, Beloukas had the slave crest inscribed on her chest and, taking a few steps back, proceeded to activate it. All of a sudden a large violet outline of the crest appears on the ground underneath Filo, producing a pillar of light that entrapped her within. As the effects of the application started taking effect, Filo started thrashing about in pain and tried in vain to escape her invisible prison. Having witnessed this happen to Raphtalia, I gritted my teeth, again feeling the shame of having to put an innocent being through this. Raphtalia, however, couldn't bear to watch and buried her head in my chest, holding me tight.

After what seemed like an eternity, the process was complete. As Filo fell backwards on her bum looking extremely angry at Beloukas, a notification popped up on my Status Screen showing that Filo was now bound to me, her bars now showing up below Raphtalia's. Quickly glancing through her stats, I noticed how strong she was, even though she was currently a few levels below myself and Raphtalia. I was about to hand over the required money when all of a sudden Filo advanced on Beloukas, looking as though she wanted to tear him apart.

Thankfully, Raphtalia got there first. "Stop it, Filo, he isn't worth it," she said, which caused Filo to back down and transform back into her human form. Seeing that disaster had been averted. I turned back to Beloukas, my expression hard, and handed him the money for the process. "Here. In exchange, and for the pain you caused Filo, I want a cloak for her."

He looks as though he wants to protest but decides against it, instead grumbling to himself as he hands over a spare cloak from his supplies. I throw it over Filo and the three of us leave, all too eager to leave Beloukas behind us this time around. As we were leaving, I realised that unless we found a more permanent solution, Filo would be chewing through cloaks and clothes every time she transformed. I decided we should over to Erhard's place and see if he had any ideas.

§

As we entered Erhard's shop, the merchant himself was coming out of the back of the store, a sandwich clasped in his hands. Just as he was about to have a bite, he noticed us approaching and waved in greeting before remarking with amusement. "You know Fergus, you don't need to show off every time you get a new companion."

"I wish that was all we came here for, but in reality, I could use your help," I responded

Just as Erhard was about to ask how he could help, Filo suddenly piped up. "Master Fergus, I'm hungry! Can I have a snack please?"

"Now now Filo, this isn't really the right t-" I was about to admonish Filo before Erhard let out an amused chuckle and interrupted me. "If she wants, she can have a small bite of my sandwich."

Filo's eyes lit up as she heard this. "Really? Thank you so much!" She exclaimed. I just shook my head in exasperation in response as Raphtalia scolded Filo for being so rude. Erhard waved it off. "It's alright. Besides, I doubt she'll be able to manage more than a small bite anyway."

"_Famous last words Erhard_." I thought to myself as all of a sudden Filo transformed into her Filolial form and with a delighted cry, gobbled down the whole sandwich in one go. As she finished, she let out a sigh of content. "So yummy!"

The rest of us stared at Filo dumbfounded for a few seconds, unable to process fully what we just witnessed. Quickly recomposing ourselves, Raphtalia and I bowed our heads in apology, Raphtalia having to push down Filo's head in order to make her do the same. "I'm really sorry about that Erhard, I honestly had no idea she would do that," I said abashedly.

Erhard laughs it off. "It's fine, I can always get another one later. I must say though, I've only heard rumours of Filolials who could transform into humans. Looks like it's more than just rumours from what I've just seen. What's her story?"

As Filo proceeded to poke around the store, I gave Erhard a quick recap of the events that had occurred since we had last met. Once we had finished and Erhard had pondered all this, he brought us back to what we had originally come in for. "Just before your Filolial interrupted us, you were about to ask for my help with something. So what can I do for you?"

"At the moment Filo is tearing up every cloak she is wearing when she transforms," Raphtalia explains. "We're trying to find out if we can find one that will last between her transformations."

Erhard considers this. "Hmmm, the best solution would be to get one custom-made. However that's beyond my capabilities, but I can point you in the right direction. If you go to the Dress Shop in town, the lady who runs that can get one made for you with the right materials." As I thanked him for his help, he proceeded to reach below the counter, pulling out a small dress in Filo's size. "One of my customers left this behind, feel free to have it for your feathered friend over there."

Raphtalia and I bid farewell to Erhard and, making sure we had Filo in tow, made our way over to the Dress Shop that Erhard had recommended. As we made our way inside, we were greeted by the owner, a kindly looking woman in plain clothes with blonde hair and glasses. Upon seeing Filo, however, she squealed in delight and ran over to hug her. "Awww look at you, you are so adorable!" She exclaimed, as Filo giggles in joy, enjoying the attention as I look on fondly. Raphtalia however just looked exasperated at Filo's behaviour.

After surviving the tailor's onslaught of hugs, Filo turned to me and asked. "Master Fergus, do you think I'm cute?" I stammered at this, unable to come up with a reply due to the unexpectedness of the question whilst also feeling Raphtalia's gaze bore into me from behind. Eventually, I replied. "Well Filo…as long as you don't cost me a fortune by constantly tearing up your clothes, then yes I would say that you are cute."

Filo let out a happy cheer at my answer whilst Raphtalia growled under her breath. "_What's got into Raphtalia today? She seems to be in a sourer mood than normal._" I thought to myself with concern as the tailor spoke up. "Just remember to give her compliments often! After all, a girl who receives lots of compliments from her father will only get even cuter."

"Hang on a second you've got it wrong," I exclaimed hurriedly. "Filo's a Filolial. I'm her owner, not her father." At my answer, Filo points over at Raphtalia. "What about Raphtalia Master Fergus? What is your relationship with her?"

I looked over at Raphtalia who was giving me an expectant glare which said: "_Answer correctly or you're in trouble mister._" After a short period of deliberation, I responded to Filo's question. "I originally felt like a father to Raphtalia." Just as Raphtalia was about to protest I continued. "But nowadays she's my best friend more than anything, and the person I trust most in the world." Raphtalia is unable to hide her blush at my words and looks away hurriedly, which causes myself, Filo and the tailor to let out a small chuckle.

I then remembered why we were here in the first place. "We came here to ask for your help. We were told you could make an item of clothing that can survive transformations. Is it possible for you to make one for us?"

The tailor nods in response. "I can do, provided you have some magic thread I can use." Seeing my stumped expression, she proceeds to explain. "The set of clothing required to survive a transformation has to be made out of a thread that is created from the wearer's own mana. So if you can get your cute little friend here to weave some using the right equipment, I can make her a very pretty dress."

Even though it wasn't what we were aiming for, it was still better than nothing, so I thanked the Tailor for her explanation as the three of us left the Store. Once out on the street, Raphtalia asked me where we could possibly find some of this magic thread. Pondering to myself, I remembered the owner of the Magic Shop had been very helpful to us in the past, and since this would be a mana-related creation, she might be able to help us out. With this, I led the girls in that direction.

The owner greeted us as we entered. "Ah, the Shield-Hero and his party. How can I help you?" I then proceeded to explain what we were after, to which she responded. "I see. Yes, I could make you some thread, but the magic gemstone in my spinning wheel shattered recently and I have been unable to procure a new one as of yet."

As I lamented my current run of bad luck, Filo curiously approached the counter, entranced by the crystal ball. Seeing her curiosity, the owner chuckled. "Seeing as I can't help you out with the thread, let me discern your friend's magic affinity for free to make up for it." After I agreed and with Filo looking on happily, she waved her hands over the crystal ball and, after getting a reading, told me that Filo has an affinity for wind magic and as such should focus on learning those spells.

"Thank you," I responded with genuine gratitude. "But back to the issue of your spinning wheel, is there any we can help in finding you a replacement gemstone?"

"I would have to talk to my contacts to see where we could find one," she replied, pondering to herself. "But that could take a few days, I'm sorry. However, as soon as I find out I will find a way to let you know." As one the three of us bowed in gratitude before leaving the store.

"Well you two, until we know where the gemstone can be found, there's nothing else we can do but go back to our original plan. It's time to hit the road!" I told the girls, trying to keep their spirits up after the disappointing outcome of today. Filo looked really excited at being able to pull the cart again, Raphtalia less so since she knew all that travelling would cause her to feel unwell again. However, not wanting to dampen Filo's joy and my attempt to cheer us all up, she put on a brave face, which earned her an appreciative rub of her hair from myself.

§

After we had picked the cart back up from where we'd left it outside Beloukas' tent, we once more hit the road. As we were barrelling through the countryside, Filo started singing a happy tune to herself as she pulled the cart along. I was currently in the cart itself studying the Grimoire through the use of my Book-Shield whilst Raphtalia was up top holding the reins.

"Filo seems to be really enjoying herself doesn't she Master Fergus?" Raphtalia called out, turning to look back at me with a smile. I smiled back warmly in response, which turned into a chuckle as I listened to the next verse of Filo's little melody:

"If I find the nasty Spear-guy,  
I'll send him flying with a full-powered kick!"

"I thought she'd be a bit more down after we couldn't get her new clothes straight away," I replied. "But she hasn't complained once this whole trip. And once we get those sorted, I'm sure she'll be over the moon. In the mean time, however, we can make ourselves a nice little profit in order to help pay for that by selling all those fancy goods we have."

"Master Fergus! There's a man running along in front of us! He looks really exhausted!" Filo called out.

"Pull up alongside him and match his pace, Filo! Let's see if he needs a hand." Raphtalia smiles warmly at my words as Filo nods and does as I ordered. Sure enough, the man looks absolutely haggard as we pull up alongside. "Excuse me, sir, are you okay?" Raphtalia called out to him.

The man turns his head in our direction, his eyes widening as he sees our little convoy. "I beg of you, please let me ride with you a short way! There's a village just past these mountains, and I need to get this health potion there as quickly as possible!" He begged us frantically.

"Not a problem. Filo, how quick can we get there at our current pace?" I asked.

"Not very long at all Master Fergus! But we could get there even faster if we leave the cart behind!" Filo calls back.

"Right then, that's what we'll do then. Raphtalia! Hand me Filo's reins!" As she does so, I detach them from the cart, bringing it to a sudden halt. "Hop on sir, we'll get you there in no time flat."

"Thank you very much, kind sir," the man replied, accepting my offered hand and clambering up behind me. "I promise I will repay you however I can."

I waved his offer off. "That doesn't matter right now, it's obvious you need to get this to someone who needs it." I turned to Raphtalia. "You're in charge of the cart, look after it. I promise that Filo and I will be back as soon as possible." Raphtalia nodded in affirmation as I turned my eyes back to the road ahead. "Alright Filo, let's motor!"

Letting out a determined cry, Filo set off at a blistering pace as I held on as firmly as I could. Behind me, I could feel our passenger wrap his arms tightly around my waist. In what felt like no time at all we came upon the village in question. Wasting no time, we proceeded to vault over the gate, much to the chagrin of the guard on duty. Whilst in mid-flight, I lobbed my merchant's pass at the guard, offering up an apology and swearing that I'd be back to pick it up. As we landed, I told my passenger to point me in the direction we needed to go.

In no time at all, we arrived at the man's home. After dismounting, I told Filo to wait outside as we entered, the man frantically running upstairs towards one of the bedrooms. As I followed on behind him, I could see why he had been so frantic. An old lady, most likely the man's mother, was resting in the bed, her breathing laboured and her skin looking very pale. As he tried to offer her the potion with trembling arms, I stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Look man, you're obviously in a panic which won't help us right now. If you go and boil up some water for her, I'll make sure she takes the potion," I said gently. He looked as though he was going to protest for a second but then acquiesced to my request and, handing me the potion, left to do as I'd asked. I then equipped my Medicine Shield to increase the effectiveness of the potion and, lifting her head up gently, managed to get her to gulp down the potion in one go.

Since I had the Medicine Shield equipped, the potion worked much faster than it normally would have, so that by the time her son came back with a cup of warm water, the woman was already sitting up in bed, her skin looking healthy and her breathing back to normal, much to the man's astonishment.

"Thank you very much for curing me young sir, I feel so much better already," she said to me with a warm expression. Resting a hand on hers, I replied back. "It's no trouble at all ma'am. Just make sure you take it easy for a little bit, your body needs time to adjust to being healed so swiftly after all." With that, I left them to it and was preparing to depart with Filo when I suddenly heard frantic footsteps from behind me. Looking back, I saw the mother's son burst out of the house, waving at me to wait.

"Thank you so much for helping us out, I would never have got here in time if it hadn't been for you," he said. "Please, let me repay you however I can."

"As I said, sir, there's no need for you to do that," I replied back, trying to placate him. "It was the right thing to do, and seeing your mother in good health again is more than enough for me."

"You are a kind soul, but I do insist. Hang on there for a moment," and with this he vanished back into the house, returning a minute later with a bag of supplies. "I saw you hand something to the guard, and judging by your cart from earlier, I'm guessing you are a travelling merchant. These are some extra goods that I would like you to have, they should be worth about a silver."

Not wanting to argue any further, and out of gratitude for his generosity, I reached down and shook his hand warmly, taking the bag with my other hand. Bidding him farewell, FIlo and I rode back out of the town, making sure to pick up my merchant's pass as we did so. As we approached where we left the cart, I pondered about adding another line of work to our business. There would be those wanting to travel a fair distance who would happily pay in exchange for a lift. And it would also mean we could visit more locations and thus help out as many people as possible.

§

The next few days turned out to be very profitable for us as well as a very rewarding experience. Each village we visited had unique goods that we were able to bulk buy at reasonable prices, whilst at the same time, those in need of the supplies we had were able to purchase them from us at a cheaper price than at their local shop. I figured if we kept the prices down, the more we'd be able to sell, and besides, we weren't in major financial troubles, so it wasn't the end of the world for us to lower the prices. At the same time, we were also able to distribute medicine and cure those who were unwell, for which we were rewarded generously despite my attempts to wave them off. And we would end our stays in each village by offering travel to the next one for those who needed it, which was also making us a tidy profit.

During the nights and spare time we had, we each took turns in reading through the Grimoire in order to learn the spells that matched our magic affiliation. I now had a good grasp on some minor healing spells, whilst Raphtalia had mastered some illusion spells and was working towards mastering some light and dark magic spells. When she wasn't pulling the cart, Filo joined us and quickly learned her wind magic spells.

We were currently on the road to the next village, Raphtalia once more holding Filo's reins as I was talking to our current passenger in the cart, a travelling merchant named Hickwaal who had asked for safe passage to a village that lay on our travel route.

"I must say, it really is a great honour to travel with the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl!" Hickwaal exclaimed joyously.

"Seriously? Is that what people are calling me these days?" I asked, an abashed expression on my face.

"Oh yes, you are developing quite the reputation amongst the people of this region," Hickwaal went on to explain. "It is being said that in a carriage pulled along by the God of Domesticated Birds, a saviour travels who sells goods, heals the sick and provides safe passage to those in need."

"I think he's talking about me, Master Fergus!" Filo called out from out front. As I laughed aloud, I faintly heard Raphtalia scold Filo, warning her not to let it get to head. As Filo moaned in response, I turned to Hickwaal, an amused expression on my face. "Seriously?"

"Why of course! Filolials are regarded as the most heavenly of all domesticated animals!" Hickwaal said reverently. I shook my head at his response. "As embarrassing as the title is, it's certainly much nicer to be regarded as a saviour then as a villain," I said.

"Master Fergus! There's a large mob blocking the road ahead!" Raphtalia called out from up top, cutting our discussion short. Telling Hickwaal to stay where he was, I clambered my way to where Raphtalia was sitting with the reins. It was as she said, currently blocking our path was a large group in various styles of clothing, carrying a wide assortment of weaponry. Judging by their expressions, they weren't just going to let us pass.

I told Filo to stop the cart and proceeded to address them. "Good afternoon sirs, what can we do to help?"

"We want the merchant you currently have hiding in your cart!" Their leader called back. "If you hand him and your goods over, we'll let you leave with your lives."

As much as I wanted to ask how they knew that I was escorting Hickwaal, I could deal with that later. "So let me get this straight, you want me to hand over the merchant who I am currently being paid to escort into your custody, as well as all my goods, and you expect me to do all this without complaint?" I asked sarcastically. "_Now I understand why Hickwaal paid me so generously for my services._"

"That's exactly right, you are a sharp one," another one of them spoke up, leering at Raphtalia. "We'll take the girl as well, she can be our 'entertainment' for the night."

Raphtalia gasped at these words, looking at me worriedly, whilst Filo started growling menacingly. My expression switched from that of a frown to one of full-blown anger. "I was more than willing to hear you out at first," I growled, my voice trembling with rage. "But then you talked about stealing my goods, and now you DARE to say that you're going to take Raphtalia from me? Well congratulations, you've just right down pissed me off!"

"Master Fergus," Raphtalia spoke up, her words and expression as cold as ice. "Allow me to teach these vile men a lesson."

"Yeah! Let me join in too!" Filo added, her eyes blazing.

"Now now now, don't do anything stupid. Not only are you vastly outnumbered, but we also have a class-upgraded bodyguard with us who is more than your match." Their leader spoke up, motioning to one of those accompanying him.

"_Class-upgrade? I'll have to remember to ask about that in the future_." I mentally noted to myself as I sighed at the leader's response. "Bring all the men you want," I stated coldly as Raphtalia and I leapt down from the cart, "the end result will remain the same." I then looked over at my companions. "Raphtalia, Filo, I only have two words for you. Go nuts."

Nodding, Raphtalia cloaked herself in illusion magic as Filo prepared to fire a wind spell. I then switched to my Shield of the First Avenger and lead the charge against the bandits.

The battle barely lasted a minute. And ended with a decisive victory for my party and the bandits being all tied up. Seriously, it wasn't even close even though they had the numerical advantage. Afterwards, Hickwaal asked them how they knew where he was. The answer he got upset him greatly. Apparently one of his fellow merchants had sold him out by tipping off the bandits about the rare accessories he was carrying. This explained again why he was willing to pay so much to travel with us.

Once Hickwaal had finished his business, another of the bandits who had been looking at me quizzically suddenly spoke up. "Hey, I know who you are. You're the Shield-Hero aren't you?"

I looked back at him. "You're well-informed, or did my Shield tip you off all of a sudden?"

"Oh please, everyone's heard the stories concerning the villainous Shield-Hero." He said, which prompted a chuckle from the rest of the bandits. That was enough to clue me in about what they thought would happen.

"Ah, I see what's going on here. Even if I take you to the nearest village and hand you over to the soldiers there, you'll just spin some story about how it was I and my party who attacked you, which will generate sympathy from the guards who will then let you go free," I theorised.

Judging by the reaction I got, it seems I was correct. "Even a group of bandits like us will be believed over the hated Shield-Hero," their leader said with a sneer.

"Well then if that's going to be the case," I sighed, deciding to scare them a little, "then I see no reason to keep you alive. Hey Filo, you fancy a snack?" Filo's eyes lit up at my words as she advanced on the group who started quaking in fear. "You see, Filo here is an omnivore and would quite happily guzzle you all up."

"H-Hey wait a second! Surely you can't let this happen! After all, you're supposed to be the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl! Surely a man with your reputation shouldn't be doing this!" One of them cried out fearfully.

"And just a second ago you were calling me the 'hated Shield-Hero', so for goodness sake make up your minds," I called out in exasperation. "Decide now, am I the hated Shield-Hero or the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl to you? Your lives depend upon your answer."

A group of them instantly started grovelling as best as they could given their circumstances. "Please oh legendary Saviour! Spare our lives and we'll hand over everything we have!" "_Bingo!_"

"Very well, as the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl, I graciously accept your terms. Lead us to your hideout, I expect you to keep your word." They all nodded frantically, at which point I ordered them all up to their feet and, with Raphtalia covering them with her sword, got them to march ahead of the cart. I had Filo, now pulling the cart once more, follow on immediately behind, which she gladly did with the same greedy expression on her face. I took up the reins, whilst Hickwaal hopped back into the cart.

§

Once we arrived at their mountain fortress, and keeping to their word, the bandits brought out all the loot they had piled up over the past few months and, one by one handed them to me. As I was stacking everything into the cart, Raphtalia spoke up. "Even if we saved the life of our merchant friend here from these bandits, surely taking all their goods makes us no better than them?"

"You're right, this is in no way an honourable act," I replied, continuing to stack the goods. "But they did intend to take all of our goods, so it is only fair that we do the same in kind. Besides, as a businessman, more goods equals more profit."

"I have to agree with my fellow merchant on this," Hickwaal spoke up. "Sometimes in the world of business, you have to get your hands a little dirty, no matter if it is the right cause of action or not. Besides, these folk got off lightly. The Saviour could have demanded their lives as payment for what they tried to do, but instead chose to take their goods as both a punishment and a lesson. I must say, he is learning very quickly what it takes."

Once we had finished our business, we hit the road once more. With Raphtalia back in control of the reins, I sat down opposite Hickwaal in the cart and eyed him closely. "Now I understand why you paid so much to have us escort you. However, my companions and I put our lives on the line to keep you safe. As far as I am concerned, you owe us for that," I stated bluntly.

"Of course. Once we reach our destination, I will teach you everything I can to help you succeed in the merchant world," Hickwaal promised.

§

Hickwaal was as good as his word. Once we had arrived at the village, and whilst Raphtalia and Filo were selling our new goods, Hickwaal took me to a nearby inn and, in one of the rooms, proceeded to teach me several skills over the course of a few hours. By the time his lessons ended, I had gained knowledge of how to refine precious metals as well as crafting and enchanting gems, with knowledge of a few new spells thrown in as well.

Armed with this new knowledge, over the next day or two I gradually got the hang of these new skills, which would allow me to add a new product line to our growing business: gem crafting and selling. This would make us a lot of money in a short time I was sure of it. Also whilst there, Hickwaal introduced me to several of his fellow merchants and business contacts, who upon finding out my identity were more than happy to inform me about the other Heroes' deeds.

It turns out Motoyasu had been able to end an outbreak of famine in a village to the south-west by planting a seed which produced a legendary crop, whilst Ren had been hunting monsters in the south-east, with one rumour cropping up that he had slain a dragon. Well good for them, glad to see they were doing some good.

What was troubling however was that there was little word about what Itsuki was doing. Each merchant and business contact had heard varying different stories, however, they couldn't be certain of the validity of each tale.

I also asked if any of them knew of or had heard any rumours concerning legendary or artefact Shields that I could potentially use my Weapon Copy ability on. I mostly got shakes of the head as expected, but one of them had heard a rumour about one located in a cave that was located next to a temple that used to be home to an Alchemist who dabbled in unstable experiments. Even if it was a rumour, I decided we had time to check it out if we came across it.

Just as we were wrapping up and about to leave the village, Hickwaal gave me a parting gift. He handed over a sealed envelope which he said would grant me permission to mine for ores and gemstones in a nearby mine shaft. Thanking him for his gift, the three of us and our cart headed in that direction and, upon reaching the mine shaft in question and confirming the validity of Hickwaal's letter with the foreman, I then asked him if he knew the location of a magic gemstone that could be used in a spinning wheel.

The foreman fell silent at this, racking his brains before something popped into his mind. "I've heard rumours of a cave that contains a load of what you're after. Apparently, it's situated next to an abandoned temple where a dangerous Alchemist used to perform experiments. If you have a map I can mark out the rough location for you."

"_Wait a second, one of the merchants said that a Shield was located in a cave next to a temple just like the one he just mentioned. Could it be the same one?_" I pondered to myself as I handed over my map. After getting the location, I thanked the foreman and headed back to the cart, where Raphtalia and Filo were waiting expectantly.

"Good news you two, I think we're much closer to getting Filo's new dress sorted out!" As the girls cheered, I couldn't help but crack a smile. "This does mean however that we'll need to head back to the capital to pick up the owner of the Magic Shop, but once that's done, we'll be on our way to where we'll be getting the gemstone" Buoyed by this discovery, we headed off back to the capital one more time

§

It took us the best part of a few days to reach the cave that the foreman had indicated, during which time we had stopped at the capital to inform the Magic Shop Owner, who had quickly agreed to come with us. As we entered the darkness of the cave, making sure to give the Temple next to it a wide berth, I was reminded of something the foreman had said as we were leaving, about how no-one had been down here in many years due to rumours of many dangerous monsters inhabiting the cave. As such, I warned the others to be on high alert.

After going down the first passageway we entered a small room which was completely unremarkable apart from two things. One, an empty chest lying at the end. Two, a Shield hanging on the wall above the chest. Both of them had inscriptions next to them. The Magic Shop owner walked up to the opened chest and inspected the inscription next to it. "This is ancient writing!" She called out as she proceeded to read the following text:

"_We fervently pray that the Seed never makes it out of this tunnel. It is a horribly twisted manifestation of our wish that nobody would feel the pangs of hunger ever again in this world"_

"_Wait a second, didn't one of the business guys say that Motoyasu had planted a seed from a legendary crop to end a famine? I really hope that seed wasn't the one in here, otherwise…_" As I was dwelling upon these thoughts, I made my way past the chest to look at the Shield hanging on the wall.

"Raphtalia, what is Master Fergus going to do with that Shield?" Filo piped up curiously.

As Raphtalia gave Filo a quick explanation about the Weapon Copy system, I took a closer look at the shield's design. It wasn't a design like I'd ever seen before, if anything it reminded me of the head of a double-bladed axe, minus the handle, but with spikes all around the edge. The inscription next to it was again in the ancient tongue, so I waved over the Magic Shop Owner who read the following out:

"_None of us were able to remove this Shield from its perch. We can only conclude that it will not move unless one who is worthy enough to wield it comes and claims its power._"

"Judging by that inscription, I'd say this Shield is going to be a very interesting one. Let's give this a shot." With these words, I lifted my Shield next to the one on the wall. And just like it had when I scanned the Shield of the First Avenger, the green jewel at the centre of my Shield let out a glow that proceeded to envelop the other Shield. Once it was complete, a message popped up in my field of view.

(New Shield unlocked: Shield-Axe - Unique rarity)  
(Every time this Shield blocks an attack, it will build up energy based on the force of the attack. Once energy build-up is complete, an inscription will appear. Read aloud this inscription to unlock this Shield's true form)

I had so many questions but decided they would be best answered by testing out this new Shield in the field. But still, if my suspicions were anywhere close to reality, then this could be my most useful Shield to date. As I headed back towards the others, Filo raised her wing to our right, indicating another passageway we could go down. Since there was no other way to do except to go back, that's the way we headed.

Part of the way down said passageway, we came across a large footprint heading in the same direction, indicating that there may very well be a powerful monster nearby. As we continued making our way onwards, I suddenly heard the voices of my companions from behind me. Even though their tones were slightly distorted, I could still hear the words very clearly.

"_It's been so easy to gain Master Fergus' trust. When he least suspects it, I'll kill him, stab him right through the heart._" That was Raphtalia's voice but…that didn't sound like anything she would say…

"_Such a tasty snack! I can't wait to gobble him up!_" That was Filo, but again, it didn't feel right. I turned my head around, about to ask if they had said anything, but stopped when I saw their expressions. Both of them looked as though they were about to cry. The sight of it nearly broke my heart…what had they been hearing?

"Don't listen to those voices!" The Magic Shop Owner's words bought me back to reality. "I recognise what's going on here. This is the work of monsters called Voice Gengars, which are able to mimic our voices and read our minds in order to learn the last thing we'd want to hear and from whom we wouldn't want to hear it from in order to turn us against each other!" With this, she lifted her staff and cast a spell, the result of which caused a shattering sound as the illusion was dispelled, revealing a pack of bat-like creatures, which must have been the Gengars she was going on about.

I'd already had enough of people trying to take my friends away from me, and I certainly wasn't going to allow these critters to turn us against each other! "Filo! Blow them away!" I commanded.

"Gladly!" She replied as she whipped up a powerful wind spell which knocked the monsters out of the sky and sent them crashing to the stone floor. As soon as all of them were down, I suddenly felt a rush of arms and feathers encircle me. Startled, I looked around and saw that Raphtalia and Filo had both rushed and clung onto me tightly, both crying out the same words: "Don't leave us, Master Fergus!"

"I'd never leave either of you, I promise. Don't listen to what those monsters said, it was all a trick." I said soothingly, wrapping an arm around each of them as best I could. We held this position for a few seconds before untangling ourselves. As we followed the Magic Shop Owner down the passageway, I stopped to absorb the remains of one of the Voice Gengars and thus was able to acquire the Voice Gengar Shield, which would project sounds at a larger volume than normal.

Eventually, we reached a large open cavern, where we not only found a load of gemstones, but also the owner of the large footprint we had seen earlier, which the Magic Shop Owner identified as a Nue. The Nue reminded me very much of a chimaera from ancient mythology back in my reality, but this particular creature had a monkey's head, a racoon's body, a tiger's limbs, and a snake-like tail. As we entered, the Nue woke up and started snarling at us, daring us to come and try and take some of the gemstones.

Nodding at the others, I ran in first, hoping to gain it's attention first so that the others could attack. It was our usual game-plan, and it seemed to work at first. The Nue snarled and jumped at me, rows of sharp-teeth seeking to chomp down on my flesh. However, I got my Shield up and held it off, which was the signal for Raphtalia and Filo to charge in from either side. What we didn't count on was what happened next. The Nue suddenly started sparking away as it built up electricity around its body. Seeing this, I quickly ordered everyone to get back, which we did just in time before the Nue let out an electrical blast.

We only took a short time to recover, during which time I decided on our next move. "Raphtalia, go dark. Filo, with me. Let's go for round two!" Understanding my orders, Filo charged in alongside me in order to distract the Nue, whilst Raphtalia cloaked herself in order to sneak around and attack the Nue from the rear. Filo leapt in and kicked the Nue in the abdomen, which caused it to roar in anger as it tried to swipe back at her. However, Filo dodged away from the attack. I was about to charge in with my Shield of the First Avenger when the Nue suddenly swung its tail in Raphtalia's direction. She tried to dodge it but it still caught her in the side, sending her flying into a nearby wall.

"RAPHTALIA!" I called out, but she waved at me, saying she was okay. "_Damn, it obviously must have heard her coming. So we're dealing with an enemy that's very sensitive to-…wait a moment, I've got it!_" I quickly switched to my new Voice Gengar Shield, the surface of which reminded me of a small megaphone, and ordered Filo to screech as loud as she could into it, and for the others to cover their ears. "_I really hope I'm right…_"

The plan worked a treat! As Filo's cry reverberated around the cavern, blood started pouring from the Nue's ears as its body started writhing in distress. "Alright, everyone! Finish it off!" At my words, The Magic Shop Owner fired off a fire spell that hit the Nue flush in the face. As it roared in agony, Raphtalia dashed in and stabbed her sword straight through the chest. This caused it to rear back in agony, right into Filo's path. Filo obliged by delivering a high-jump kick with enough force that the Nue's skull shattered.

As the fallen beast crumpled in a heap, Raphtalia suddenly started swaying from side to side. I rushed to her side, holding her up gently. "Are you okay Raphtalia?" I asked with concern.

"I-I'm okay Master Fergus," she replied, her cheeks blushing a little. "Just a bit dizzy from hitting the wall. I just need a moment to recover." Acknowledging her words, I guided her down so that she was able to rest against a wall. With Filo saying she would keep an eye on her, I took out some of the tools that I used for gem crafting and, with great care, extracted some of the crystals from one of the many nodes there.

"Will this suffice?" I asked the Magic Shop Owner, handing her one of the crystals.

"Absolutely. As soon as we get back to my shop, I'll get my spinning wheel up and running and we'll able to make you some magic thread." She replied, gratefully taking the offered crystal.

I then headed back over to Raphtalia and Filo and, putting a hand on each of them, I thanked them. "Thank you both for your help and bravery today. Once we've got Filo's dress spun, I'm treating you both to a feast." This got both of the girls excited, just as I had hoped.

§

Once we got back to the Magic Shop, true to her word the owner started up her spinning wheel with the new gemstone powering it. She guided Filo on how to operate the device and soon enough she was producing a large amount of thread. However, this did cause Filo some measure of exhaustion, hardly unsurprising since she was using her own mana reserves to make the thread.

"Master! How long do I have to keep going? This is really tiring!" Filo moaned out loud. Looking at the bundles of thread, I estimated she was almost done, and as such gave her a reassuring thumbs up.

"You're almost there Filo! Just think about that tasty feast I promised you when this is over." Her face lit up at my words and she resolved to keep going.

We then took the newly-spun thread over to the Dress Shop, from which the Tailor said she'd make Filo a wonderful dress. Eventually, Filo came out of the back, sporting her new dress, which was white with a blue bow in the centre. "Master Fergus! Do I look cute or what?" She asked me gleefully, doing a little twirl as she did so.

I couldn't help but let out a beaming smile. "Filo, you look adorable! That is the perfect dress for you." Filo's face lit up at my praise as she barrelled into me, giving me a warm hug and thanking me over and over again.

After prising her off of me, and as Raphtalia and the tailor took their own turns in gushing over how cute she looked, I took the time to reflect on the past few days. Even though the dress was incredibly pricey, and we had gone through a fair amount of hardship to make it, it was all worth it, just for seeing how much Filo liked it. As finished our business, I thanked the Tailor for her assistance and, taking Raphtalia's left hand in my right hand and Filo's right hand in my left hand, lead them out of the store and off towards one of the local restaurants, where we would indulge in that feast I had promised them.

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Again not many changes from the anime adaptation, except for one key addition whilst exploring the tomb: A new Shield. A small spoiler of its capabilities as well, but I'm saving a full explanation for another chapter.**

**Now depending on how busy this weekend is, I might not be able to get the next chapter up as I normally schedule. If that's the case you might have to wait a fortnight until the next chapter. I will try my best to avoid that, but if that's the case you have been warned.**

**(EDIT: Next chapter will be uploaded Friday 3rd May. Taking a week off to recharge and watch some anime)**

**Thank you all once again for reading. Until next time, this ****is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you in the next one**


	11. Author's Note II and Character Themes

**You may have noticed that this isn't a new chapter. Yeah if you didn't catch the note at the end of my last chapter, I decided to take this week off to recharge after the Easter holidays, as well as catch up/watch new anime, and prepare myself for Endgame tomorrow. I cannot wait to watch it.**

**By the way, I just got done with an anime series this week, and my goodness was it darker than any expectations I had. Especially concerning one of the critters in there who has become my nightmare fuel...**

**Kyubey: Heyo!**

**AGGGHHHH! Not you, get away from me you jerk! What the hell are you doing here?!**

**Kyubey: I came along to see if any of your readers who are teenage girls want to make a contract with me! I will grant them any wish they want, and in return, they become a magical girl!**

**Get away from my readers you bastard! It's bad enough that you are now in all my nightmares, but now you are trying to get more teenage girls trapped in your sick game? I WON'T ALLOW IT! *chases after Kyubey with a baseball bat***

**Kyubey: Teenage girls out there! Contact me if you want that wish! *runs away as I chase after him, screaming and swinging my baseball bat***

***A few minutes pass before I return* Sorry, just had to make sure that creepy thing leaves me alone for the time being. Seriously, that cat is now in all my nightmares. As you can probably guess, the anime I watched was Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Don't be fooled, it may look harmless, but it gets REALLY DARK really fast. You have been warned, and it's now on Netflix.**

**Speaking of anime, I hope everyone enjoyed the latest episode of Rising of the Shield Hero, where we met the Filolial Queen. Looking forward to next week's episode**

**Also, my buddy Zinmaster24 just released the latest chapter of his story "From Soldier to Hero". I really recommend you go read it, that chapter is SO CATHARTIC and I loved reading it.**

**So yeah with all that out of the way, the next chapter will be uploaded next Friday (May 3rd). In the meantime, I didn't want to leave you without anything so, I present to you my updated list of themes for each of the characters in my story. Take a look through and see what you think!**

**Fergus - Hero (Metal Cover) by Caleb Hyles and Jonathan Young - This one needed updating. Hero is a great song, and Skillet are a great band, but this cover by some of my favourite YouTubers just seemed to fit my character well**

**Raphtalia -All I Need by Within Temptation - No change**

**Filo - Connect (English Cover) (from Puella Magi Madoka Magica) by AmaLee - I was really struggling with Filo's theme for a while before I found this just today. It's a happy and upbeat song despite the darkness of the anime, and seeing as Filo is an upbeat character, I went with it.**

**Ren - Swordland (Sword Art Online soundtrack) by Yuki Kaijura - No change for discount Kirito**

**Itsuki - Justice by Rev Theory - THIS BADLY NEEDED CHANGING, Remember the Name was just too good for Itsuki so I gave him the placeholder theme about justice.**

**Motoyasu - Dynasty Warriors 5 OST - Opening - DW S2H Mix - No change**

**Malty - Liar by AELONIA or Black Soul by Shinedown - Generally I'm not great at songs that degrade or put people in a bad light, but these two songs really jumped out at me. Liar is off AELONIA's first album that's just been released, and Shinedown are my favourite band in the world. It hurt so bad putting one of their songs for a despicable character but it just seemed to fit. After all, it's obvious that Malty is both a liar and has a black soul**

**King Aultcray - Parliament by Kevin Penkin (Rising of the Shield Hero OST) - It fits**

**Erhard - Fermentation by Kevin Penkin (Rising of the Shield Hero OST) - It also fits**

**Hope those are to your liking. Again sorry that there is no chapter this week, but I hope this suffices. Until next time, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, see you next time!**


	12. Ch 10 - Weed Killer

**After a week****'s absence from a story chapter, which I think I needed more than I realised, we are back continuing the adventures of our Shield Hero Fergus Ward. Thank you all once again for giving this story (and myself) a review, follow and/or favourite, really means a lot that so many people are liking it.**

**I would be remiss if I didn't talk about last week's 3 days of epic viewing material (Saturday, Sunday, Monday). Saturday was Endgame which was AWESOME, I felt it capped off this current age of Marvel films brilliantly. If you haven't seen it already, I recommend you should. Sunday was the return of Season 3 of Attack of Titan, which started off strongly and will only get better. Still iffy about the new opening but I think I'll grow to like it in time. And as for Monday, Episode 3 of Season 8 of Game of Thrones…I have no words. By the end of that, I was emotionally and physically drained.**

**NEEDLESS TO SAY, I WOULD ASK THAT PEOPLE NOT SPOIL ANYTHING FROM THE 3 THINGS I HAVE JUST TALKED ABOUT. SPOILERS ARE UNCOOL. IF PEOPLE POST SPOILERS, KYUBEY WILL FIND YOU AND OFFER YOU A CONTRACT. Speaking of Kyubey, is it weird that I've been thinking of doing a Puella Magi Madoka Magica FanFic with a male OC? I AM CRAZY I know but ideas have been floating around in my head to make it work. Will it ever happen? Don't know, but the idea is there. We shall see, but for now, my focus is this current story.**

**The anime episode this week was good for the most part, but I can't wait to kick back into the main conspiracy, and the post-credit scene set that up nicely. Let's see what next week brings.**

**Now that that's out of the way, onto the next chapter of Rising of a True Shield Hero, in which Fergus kills some plants and sorts his party out. Hope you enjoy it! As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 10 - Weed Killer

After sorting out Filo's dress and having our well-deserved feast, our little convoy hit the road once more. I told Filo to head to the last place we visited before going to the tomb, and that we'd continue from there. Well, that was the intention anyway. As we arrived, I noticed Hickwaal come out to meet us.

"Welcome back Shield-Hero, I hope your trip to the capital was profitable!" He exclaimed. "So sorry to bother you just as you're arriving but an urgent matter has come up which I need your help with."

Despite me and Hickwaal now being even, I didn't see the harm in listening to what he had to say, so I told Filo to pull up next to the inn. Once there, we found a private room and Hickwaal got right down to business. "I got a request from one of my contacts that a village to the south-west has ordered a lot of herbicide. However, due to the sheer amount requested, I have struggled to find someone able to do it, until now. You are the only person I know who has the means to not only carry the load of herbicide but to get it to its destination as quickly as possible."

At these words Hickwaal pulled out a map, marking the location of the village in question. Seeing it was on the route I had already planned for us, there was no reason for us not to accept this job. "Alright then Hickwaal, we'll take care of it. Show us where the herbicide is and we'll load it up."

Delighted, Hickwaal led us to a nearby storehouse which contained the herbicide. Hickwaal wasn't kidding, there was A LOT to transport. I told Raphtalia and Filo to bring the cart over, and once they did, between the four of us we got the herbicide loaded onto the cart. As we set off, Hickwaal gave us one final reminder: "Get there as quickly as possible."

As were barrelling along the country roads, I had a look back at the sheer amount of herbicide we were carrying. "_What on earth is going on that would require this much herbicide?_" I thought to myself.

"Master! You need to come and see this!" I heard Filo call from up front. As I made my way to join Raphtalia, we both couldn't help letting out a stunned gasp. There were vines growing absolutely everywhere, spreading out all around us and devouring the lands it was covering. "I can see why all the herbicide was needed now. Hopefully, we have enough to clear this all up!" I commented.

"Master Fergus, look!" Raphtalia spoke up, drawing my attention to something she had spotted on the horizon. As I saw where she was pointing, my eyes widened in shock. We could now see the borders of the village we were heading to, and that the vines from before had started encroaching on the walls itself! "No wonder Hickwaal told us to hurry, this is really bad! Filo, speed up! We need to get there as soon as possible!"

"Okay-dokey! Hold on tight, because here we go!" Filo called out gleefully as she upped her pace, and before long we barrelled into the village itself. As Filo came to a stop and we got down from the cart, I took a good look around at our vicinity. It wasn't a pretty sight. What looked like first-aid tents had sprung up everywhere, and it didn't look as though it was just for first-aid, people were dwelling in them too. There was also a large stack of boxes off to the side, presumably containing all the supplies they could salvage. And as I looked towards the village itself, I could see why. The vines had spread all over the buildings, making them completely uninhabitable. As we were taking this in, I saw a figure approaching me.

"Greetings traveller, I am the leader of this village. May I ask as to your purpose here?"

"My name is Fergus, and these are my companions Raphtalia and Filo. I was asked to bring a shipment of herbicide here urgently, it's currently all in my cart." I responded politely.

"Oh thank you, Fergus, we were in dire need of it and were slowly losing hope it would ever arrive. We'll make sure to put the herbicide to good use." The village leader responded gratefully.

"Not a problem, glad I could help," I waved off his thanks. "But perhaps you can answer something for me. What exactly is the situation here that required so much herbicide? I saw all the vines growing on our way up here, but I gather there's more going on."

"Our village has been completely over-run by the vines you saw as well as mutated plant monsters that have sprung from them. As we didn't have the means to stop it or fight off the monsters, we had to abandon our homes so that we didn't perish ourselves."

As I processed this information, Raphtalia offered up a question of her own. "Have you tried burning the vines? Fire usually works well against plants."

The chief shook his head in response. "We tried burning the vines as well as chopping them to pieces, yet every time we tried the plants regenerated instantly. We even resorted to hiring some adventurers to try and fix the problem, but they have been unable to do anything about it."

As he was saying this, we all suddenly heard a loud scream of terror come from nearby. The chief's eyes widen in horror. "That sounds like the adventurers we hired! They went out this morning to go and level up on the outskirts of the village but haven't returned since."

"Sounds like they've run into trouble and need some help." I made a snap decision, it was time to test my party members out and see if they could carry out a task without my assistance. "Raphtalia, Filo, you two are up. Rescue the adventurers and bring them back safe, got it?"

"Understood, Master Fergus!" "Piece of cake!" They responded respectively. Raphtalia immediately leapt onto Filo's back and took off towards the source of the screams. As they left, I couldn't help but worry just a little. I knew the two of them would be more than capable but at the same time, I really hope I didn't just send them out to get killed. But all I could do was wait and hope for their success.

§

Turns I needn't have worried too much. In what seemed like no time at all, Raphtalia and Filo were back, only this time Filo had three unconscious figures clasped under her wings. "Good work you two, what happened out there?" I asked Raphtalia.

She responded promptly. "It's as we feared, the entire village is completely surrounded by plant monsters, some of which attacked us. We were able to fight them off and rescue the adventurers, and during our escape, I noticed some of the plants were spitting poison at us."

"Thank you Raphtalia, that's very handy to know. Never discount any sort of knowledge, especially if you think it can help the situation." I told her, to which her entire face turned red as she blushed.

"It was a piece of cake Master Fergus!" Filo piped up. "And yet these adventurers were struggling so much by the time we got there! Honestly, they really shouldn't have been out there in the first place if they were this weak!"

"_Where did that come from?!_" I thought to myself, shocked by Filo's behaviour. This was the first time I had heard her be so arrogant. I'd deal with it later on when things had died done, but I needed to put her in her place for now. "Filo! Don't be so rude, that was entirely uncalled for." Filo turned her gaze to me, a hurt look on her face at my harsh words, but she decided to quieten down. It was then that I started hearing whispers from behind me.

"Wait a minute, that bird…is that the Heavenly Fowl?"  
"You're right, it is! That must mean the traveller is the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl?"  
"You mean the man who travels around the lands in a cart pulled by the Heavenly Fowl and cures the sick?"  
"He's come to heal our wounded! Thank goodness!"

As the whispers died down, the village chief came up to us. "Is it true? Are you really the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl?"

I scratched my head awkwardly but decided to be up front. "It's an embarrassing title, but yeah that's who I am." The chief then comes and prostrates right at my feet. "Please Saviour, heal our wounded! We haven't been able to do so and their condition worsens!"

"No need for you to beg, I would have done so anyway," I stated awkwardly, indicating that the chief should get to his feet, With this, myself and Raphtalia are lead over to one of the nearby tents whilst Filo gorged herself on a nearby open box of food. As we entered, I let out a gasp at what we saw, whilst Raphtalia clasped her hands to her mouth, trying to hold back a sob at what we saw. All of the people laid up were covered in plants, some with more on them than others, and as a result, they all looked completely sapped of strength, leaving them weak and bed-ridden.

"Not only are the vines mutating into plant monsters, but it's also mutating as a parasitic infection. These people weren't to know, hence why they're infected. Now I see why this whole set-up looks like a quarantine zone." I murmured softly.

Raphtalia reached down and squeezed my hand, looking for reassurance. "Master Fergus, please tell me there is something we can do for them." She pleaded.

"I have an idea, but I need a few things. Head back to the cart and bring me a stack of health potions and herbicide." Raphtalia nodded and in a short while returned with the supplies I requested. Going to the side of one of the infected, a small girl barely older than five, I activated my Potion Enhance skill and tipped the health potion down her throat. As I suspected, the potion restored the colour of her skin and eased her breathing, but didn't get rid of the plants. Taking one of the vials of herbicide, I splashed it gently over the infected areas and sure enough, the leaves instantly withered and faded, leaving her skin completely clear.

"It worked!" Raphtalia exclaimed softly, her eyes swimming with tears of relief. I smiled gently at her. "Yeah, and now that we know what to do, we can help everyone else out too," I responded. We proceeded to do just that and soon enough, all of the affected were cured. The chief and all the families of the afflicted thanked me profusely, but I waved them off. I asked the chief to join us outside.

As we sat down, the chief once again thanked me for what I had done. "As I said, I'm glad I could help," I responded. "You told me earlier what had happened, but I need more details. This doesn't just happen out of the blue."

"Until recently, our village had been hit by a severe famine that left us desperate for food," the chief started to explain. "One day the Spear-Hero and his party turned up and asked us what was going on. Once we explained the situation, he headed to a nearby ruin and came back with an ancient seed that had been sealed away a long time ago. He said it would end our troubles and called it a Miracle Seed."

As the chief finished his initial explanation, everything suddenly seemed to fall into place. Motoyasu had obviously been to the same ruins we had gone to for the gemstones and had been the one who had taken the seed from the chest. I let out a groan and palmed my hand to my face.

"Are you alright Fergus?" The chief asked me concernedly. I waved him off. "I'm fine, but I think I know exactly what's happened here. Please finish your story."

"At first we were overjoyed that the plants were growing," he continued. "But all of a sudden their growth became out of control. The vines started spreading out all over the place, spawning the plant monsters everywhere they went. Hence the current situation."

A moment of silence passed between us as I absorbed his tale, putting all the pieces together. "I have a bad feeling I know exactly what seed you are referring to. We went to the same cave, but for a different purpose altogether, and found an empty chest. The inscription next to it warned that the seed was a horrible manifestation of a wish that no-one would feel hunger ever again. Tell me, did the Spear-Hero or any of his party mention any of this?"

The chief shook his head. "They did not. In fact, straight after he planted the seed, one of his party members demanded a large reward from us. Once they had that, they just left."

"_I would bet any amount of silver that Malty was the one who demanded the reward. Damn that bitch._" I thought to myself, my mood turning sour at the thought of her. My mind was made up. I got to my feet. "Filo! Get over here, we're heading out!" As she waddled over, unhappy at being interrupted during her gorging, I turned back to the village chief. "We'll sort this out."

The chief got to his feet and clasped one of my hands with his. "Thank you so much, Fergus! I promise you'll be rewarded for this!"

I shook my head at this. "No need for a reward, it's the right thing to do. Come on you two." With this, the three of us headed off towards the infected area of the village, the remaining villagers cheering us on.

As we got out of earshot of the villagers, I felt myself struggling to keep a lid on my annoyance at the situation. I suddenly brought us to a halt. "Girls, do me a favour and cover your ears." They both looked at me confused but acquiesced to my request. I took a few steps forward and, raising my head up and looking towards the heavens, I let out a loud yell:

"DAMN YOU MOTOYASU!"

Recomposing myself, I turned around and signalled for the girls that they could unblock their ears. "Raphtalia, please remind me to bring this up with Motoyasu next time I see his stupid face."

"Um, okay?" She responded, looking very confused. With that out of the way, we set off once more. This whole situation had put me in a bad mood, and working my anger off on some plant monsters sounded really good right about now!

§

"_World of Warcraft really didn't have enough plant monsters to prepare me for this crap._" I thought to myself as I dodged, blocked and weaved my way through various attacks. As we had arrived in the main part of the village, we had been swarmed by plant creatures of all manner of shapes and sizes. Thankfully, the three of us were more than a match with our tried and tested strategy: I went in front and took the attacks on my Shields, whether they be physical or ranged, followed up by Raphtalia and Filo going to town on them with sword and claw respectively. We were drawing closer to the source of the mutated creatures and our way was currently being blocked by a plant which resembled a venus fly-trap from my reality, only this particular specimen had two eyes and fangs in the middle of its bloated stem. It proceeded to use its vines to attack me but, just like all the others, I took the blow easily on my Shield of the First Avenger. And this time it was Raphtalia who charged in and proceeded to cut the monster down to size.

As it fell, the three of us took a mini-break to get our breath back, having spent probably the last half an hour cutting our way to this point. "You know, when I came to this world," I remarked, attempting to inject some humour into the proceedings. "The one job I didn't think I'd be taking up was as a gardener."

This got me a disapproving glare from Raphtalia, suggesting that this probably wasn't the best time to be cracking jokes. "Now is not the time Master Fergus! We need to end this fast before it spreads even more!"

"I was only trying to lighten the mood a little…" I muttered, slightly stung by her sharp words but shook it off as I indicated the large tree not so far away from us. "That's our target. If we take that down we should be able to stop the vines from spreading."

We approached the tree cautiously, keeping an eye out for any more attacks or spawning plant monsters, when all of a sudden we heard a loud squelching sound from the middle of the tree as the large petal there suddenly sprouted an eyeball which, after rolling around a little in its socket, proceeded to fix us with an empty stare, obviously a reaction to our intrusion. "Alright then girls, there's the weak spot. We take that out, we should do some major damage."

"Leave it to me, Master Fergus!" With these words, Filo sprinted off before I could give out any further orders, a little to my chagrin. As she rapidly approached, the target started sprouting countless amounts of vines which she weaved and ducked her way through without too much issue. As she closed in, I raised my Shield and called for an Air Strike Shield, making sure to focus on making it a platform she could jump off. Filo took it in her stride, jumping up and using the Shield as a springboard to deliver a high-jump kick straight in the middle of the eyeball and causing it to burst. Our joy at the success of her attack barely lasted a few seconds though as the eyeball regenerated itself.

"_Looks like we need a different approach._" I thought to myself. "Filo, retreat for the time being!" As she parked up alongside us once more, I had already decided on our next plan of attack and, fishing out a bottle of herbicide, proceeded to explain my plan to the girls.

"Here's what I want you to do. Raphtalia, take the herbicide and get on Filo's back. Filo, do as you did just then and get Raphtalia in as close as you can to the eyeball. Once there, use the herbicide on it. Understood?"

Nodding in understanding, Raphtalia took the vial of herbicide from me and leapt on Filo's back. As soon as she was in position, Filo set off once more, and just like last time proceeded to nimbly leap and dodge her way through the vines, only this time Raphtalia was able to assist her by cutting through any vines that she missed with her sword. But as they got closer to the target, things went badly pear-shaped.

Filo was caught completely unaware by a vine threatening to attack her left side. Fortunately for her, Raphtalia spotted it. But in order to reach it, Raphtalia had to leap off her back as she proceeded to cut the offending vine to ribbons, and as she tried to land back on Filo she lost her balance slightly and landed on Filo's back rather awkwardly.

"Can you try not to slow us down please?!" Filo berated her. As Raphtalia was about to argue back, I noticed with horror another vine snake around and approach them from behind. "LOOK OUT!" I yelled but it was too late, the vine wrapped itself around Raphtalia and hoisted her high in the air.

"Raphtalia! Are you okay?!" I called out worriedly.

"I'm currently hoisted ten feet in the air and none of my friends are currently helping me out, does it look like okay?!" Raphtalia screeched sarcastically. "Just hurry up and get me down!"

"Oh, I don't know, seeing you like this is really funny! Serves you right for not paying attention!" Filo said with a chuckle.

"NOT HELPING FILO!"

"BOTH OF YOU STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" I yelled, starting to lose my temper once more. "Raphtalia, use the herbicide, I don't care where you pour it just do it!" Raphtalia stops bickering with Filo and manages to get her hands in front of her to where she can uncork the herbicide with her teeth. Once she does so, she immediately pours it on one of the tree's roots. But again, just like our last attempt, the root instantly regenerated itself.

"_That failed as well? What else can we do?_" I racked my brain as quickly as I could trying to find a solution, not helped by the headache I was getting from my arguing companions. I then thought back to when I had healed the infected from earlier, and suddenly the solution clicked. Herbicide combined with the Potion Enhance Skill. My decision made, I charged through the mass of vines blocking my path, swatting those coming on my right-side with my Shield of the First Avenger whilst letting those on the left-side bounce off harmlessly, thanks to my insanely high defence stat. I know, I know, even though this isn't a game our stats are still useful in providing a rough guideline to what we can take and dish out.

I reached the base of the tree and, taking out a vial of herbicide, quickly activated the Potion Enhance skill and splashed the liquid all over the roots of the tree, and to my relief, it worked straight away. Everything around me that was vegetation of any kind started to wither and die rapidly, and the eyeball in the centre started to convulse before it too died with another loud squelching sound. I then watched what the main tree and was doing and suddenly realised it was going to collapse right on top of us.

"Both of you, move!" I called out to the girls. As the vines around her loosened, Raphtalia was able to get herself free as we all booked it out of there as the tree split and collapsed. As we took a look at the aftermath, all we could see was withered vegetation, and none of it was growing back. We had done it! But as I looked around, I noticed several seed-like objects dotted amongst the remains.

"Looks like our work isn't done yet you two. Grab whatever seeds you can find, we don't want this growing back again." Filo let out a groan at having to do more work but I ignored her, not pleased with how she was behaving right now.

And that did not get any better part of the way through our task. As I was picking up some of the materials from the dead vines, I heard the girls arguing once more. Looking over, I saw them both clutching the same seed as they both had claimed to find it first.

This was getting really out of hand, these two had been at each other's throats all of today, and at points during the past several days as well. At some point when we next had a break, I knew I'd have to sit them both down and remind them that we are a team and supposed to be working together.

But that would happen when it happened, and as I returned my attention to the present I had my Shield absorb some of the remains of the large tree. A notification then popped up saying that I had unlocked the Bio-Plant Shield, as well as a smaller text box indicating that along with the new Shield I had unlocked the Plant Modification Skill. Now that sounded intriguing.

"_May as well give it a test and see how it works_." I thought to myself as I pulled out one of the seeds I had picked up previously. As I switched over to my new Shield, a whole new set of bars appeared in front of me, which I quickly figured out where the properties of the Seed. Now even more curious, I attempted to alter one of the values and was instantly rewarded by the value moving up and down as I fiddled with it. I then proceeded to alter it a little more, specifically it's intelligence level, before throwing it to the ground. As it bloomed, the effects of having zero intelligence kicked in, and just as it took shape the tree quickly withered and died once more.

"_It'll take me a few tries, but if I set the values just right, this seed could actually bear fruit instead of spawning plant monsters._" My train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the clearing of a throat, and as I turned around I saw Raphtalia looking down at me, carrying a basket of seeds. "What are you up to Fergus?" She asked.

"I was trying out the new skill I got from this Shield, Plant Modification. I reckon with a few more tests I can get these seeds to bear fruit." I explained. However, this didn't make her smile.

"It's bad enough we've had to fight one giant plant monster and it's hordes of mutated creations today, I'd rather not have to fight another just to satisfy your curiosity." She huffed before stomping away to gather more seeds.

"_Damn she must still be really wound up from arguing with Filo._" I thought to myself with a frown. Deciding it was best not to get into an argument and worsen her temper, I didn't respond and stopped my experimentation for the time being, and instead returned to the job of gathering.

§

As the sun dipped towards the base of the sky the three of us decided to make our way back to the villagers' current base. As we arrived we were greeted by a chorus of cheers, news having obviously spread that we had halted the infestation. The chief came over to thank us personally. "Thank you for your help, without it I shudder to think what would've happened to us."

"Not a problem we were happy to assist," I replied, which drew assenting nods from my companions. "However, even though we put the mutating plants, their remains are still spread all over the village. It'll take a big effort to clear up before you can live there once more."

"With the plants no longer around, we should be more than up to it." The chief responded with a smile. I was about to open my mouth to offer my assistance but he obviously guessed what I was about to ask and interrupted me. "You've already done more than enough for us, you and your two friends should get some rest. We can talk about your reward in the morning."

As much as I wanted to help, I couldn't fault his logic and could do with a good night's sleep. As he bade us a good night, I turned to my companions, still not fully happy with them after the events of earlier. "Let's have dinner, then turn in. And one helping only Filo." I said shortly, making sure Filo got the point with a stern glance in her direction. They both nodded solemnly and after a quick bite to eat, we all settled down to sleep. Filo, of course, could settle anywhere and chose to remain by the fire, whilst Raphtalia crawled into the cart and threw a cover over herself. I fished out a sleeping bag and settled myself on the other side of the fire from Filo, and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

But I couldn't fully settle, and indeed woke up several times during the night. The last time it happened was just as morning was beginning to come around, so I decided to not bother trying to get back to sleep. Looking around and noticing the others were still deeply asleep, I quietly picked up a bowl of some of the materials we had picked up earlier and moved over to an open space on the outskirts of the camp.

Over the next hour or so, I kept experimenting with the values of the seeds with my Plant Modification Skill, as well as feeding more of the materials to my Shield. This resulted in me acquiring two new Shields: The Plantriwe Shield and the Mandoragora Shield, the latter of which also unlocked another new skill called Plant Analysis. Curious as to how this would work, I equipped my new Shield and held it over the seed, and as I did this a wealth of new information appeared in front of me, explaining in detail the effects of each of the seed's properties as well as a more detailed range of values that I could set them to. With this wealth of new knowledge, I set about once more altering the values of each of the properties to ensure that not only would the seed no longer be a threat but that it would be able to bear edible produce to help the villagers feed themselves.

Just as I had got the seed to the exact values I wanted, I heard a yawn from behind me as Raphtalia slowly came to. As I turned around, I saw her come out of the cart, a blanket draped over herself, and look around before noticing where I was. As she approached I watched silently, not sure what kind of mood she would be in right now.

"Good morning Master Fergus, did you sleep well?" She asked sleepily, stifling a yawn. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Filo slowly waking up as well, having transformed overnight back into her human form.

"Slept as well as I could," I replied, turning my gaze back to the seed in my palm as she yawned once more. "You know if you're still sleepy you ought to go back and get some more rest. Sun's not even up yet."

"Thank you but I'm alright," she replied, as she looked over my shoulder at what I had in my hands. "What are you to now?"

"Carrying on from yesterday," I said, standing up and going over to a small patch of earth, planting the modified seed in it. "I picked up a new skill called Plant Analysis, which I combined with Plant Modification to get the seed exactly the way I wanted it."

"I'm sorry to keep nagging you like Master Fergus," she started up once more, disapproval seeping through her words, "but you should really stop being so reckless just so you can-"

I held up a hand, interrupting her. "Harp on at me later if it doesn't work, for now just sit and watch." Pursing her lips, she eventually gives up her argument and takes a seat beside me.

Over the next hour or two, the sun started coming out. As it rose higher in the sky, its light was cast over where I had planted the seed. As if responding to an unheard request, the earth started rumbling and from it sprouted a new tree. But unlike the mutated one from earlier, it halted its growth at a reasonable height, and from its vines several red fruits rapidly grew. As I marvelled at how well my experimentations had gone, I had the soft patter of bare feet running towards us. Sure enough, Filo ran up beside us, her eyes wide as she beheld the tree in front of her. "Look at it, Master! It's so pretty, and the fruit! It looks so juicy!"

I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm and gave her head a small pat as I stood up and made my way back to where I had left the baskets of seeds we had collected yesterday. With my Mandoragora Shield equipped once more, I proceeded to alter the values of all the seeds in each basket to the values I had set for the one that was currently blooming. Thankfully I was able to save time by doing it basket by basket rather than seed by seed.

A short while later, once everyone in the area was awake, the chief called everyone over to the area where the new tree was located and where myself and Raphtalia were currently standing (Filo had helped herself to a few of the fruits when my back was turned and was currently gorging on them in her Filolial form). Once everyone was assembled, I gave them a quick explanation as to what I had done:

"In case you are wondering, this tree came from a seed of the large tree that was responsible for infecting your village. You are probably wondering why it's so different, and I can explain. Using various abilities from my Shield, I was able to eradicate the mutating potential as well as curb the breeding potential of the seed, as well as raising it's growth and production values. As a result, this seed, as well as the seeds that I and my companions gathered, should be able to bear edible fruit rather than mutated plant monsters, and this should be able to keep you fed for a long while yet."

The villagers let out a cheer at my explanation, relieved to have a reliable source of food once more. As various people came up to thank us personally, I was soon approached by the village chief, who waved me over to the side. As I joined him, he let out a smile. "You're the Shield-Hero aren't you?"

Able to cover my surprise at how he figured it out, I responded neutrally. "How'd you figure that out?"

"I saw your Shield as you left the village, and was able to put two and two together as you mentioned how you used your Shield's powers to alter the seeds," he revealed.

"I hope this isn't an issue, I'm sure you've heard all the rumours going around about me."

He shook his head. "Not at all, and I have heard both sets of rumours. I'm much more inclined to believe the one about you being the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl. The real reason I brought you over here is to offer my own personal thanks on behalf of my entire village for all you have done. If there is anything you desire of us, please ask."

I didn't argue, knowing he would insist of rewarding me, yet at the same time, I didn't want to squeeze any money out of him, seeing as he would need all of it to help the village rebuild. As I looked over at the produce we had gathered, I suddenly had an idea. "If it's alright with you, I wouldn't mind taking a few samples of the fruit as well as a basket of the seeds back with me, so that I can do more research on them and see if I can improve them any further."

"Of course Shield-Hero, you have given us more than enough." The chief agreed and, after helping myself and Raphtalia load up a small basket of fruit and a basket of seeds back into the cart, brought the villagers over to bid us farewell. Just as we were about to leave, I went into the back of the cart and brought out a container containing several vials of herbicide. "Just in case you need them as you clear up," I explained. With this, the three of us bid the village goodbye as Filo set off at a brisk trot, taking us in the direction of the village where we had left Hickwaal.

§

"I must say, Saviour, this is a very impressive seed," Hickwaal commented as he closely inspected one of the seeds I had brought him

As soon as we had got back to the village where he was at, the first thing we did was go and see Hickwaal and update him on the task he had given us. After listening to what I had gone through, Hickwaal asked if he could have a look at both the seed and the fruit that I had brought back.

"If it's possible, do you think I could borrow a few samples of each? I know several people who would be very interested in these."

"I don't see why not," I responded, going over to the box of fruit and scooping up a large handful, and at the same time motioning for Filo to stop gorging herself, before doing the same with the seeds. Returning to where we were sitting, I passed these over the table. "I'm obviously going to keep the rest to sell, but anything you or your friends can get out of these can only be helpful."

Hickwaal thanked me, passing over a small bag of silver in return. "It's always a pleasure doing business with you, Saviour. And I'm sorry to keep abusing your good nature, but I have one more favour to ask of you."

"_Well at least he is apologising, so I suppose I can hear him out_." I motion for him to continue. "An inn in a nearby town is asking for a shipment of goods. If you could deliver them for me, I would be very grateful." As he saw me pondering about it, he slipped in some incentive. "If my information is correct, the town in question has a hot spring that you can use."

"A HOT SPRING?!" All three of us cried out in response, as the girls looked at each other excitedly. Filo started pulling on my arm, eyes wide as she pleaded with me. "Can we please go, Master Fergus?"

I smiled back at her before turning my gaze to Raphtalia. "Would you like to go as well Raphtalia?" As she hemmed and hawed about not wanting us to get distracted and how she wasn't too fussed, I looked past her to see her tail swishing back and forth rapidly, betraying her excitement. "Well then it's settled, we're going to a hot spring!"

"Yay! Thank you so much Mater Fergus!" Filo cried out excitedly as she leapt into my arms and hugged me tightly. As I chuckled at her enthusiasm, I heard the sound of gritted teeth coming from Raphtalia, which reminded me that I still needed to talk to both of them about their behaviour over the past few days. Gently prising Filo of me, I looked back over to Hickwaal and told him we'd do it, for which he thanked us profusely. Once we had got the goods loaded in our cart, we bid a final farewell to Hickwaal and headed out to our destination.

There seemed to be an added zip to Filo's travelling speed, no doubt she wanted to get there as soon as possible and enjoy the hot spring. Raphtalia too was excited as she kept her eyes expectantly on the horizon as if willing the town to materialize before her eyes. I was also looking forward to relaxing in a hot spring, it would be my first experience of it in this reality.

Due to Filo's increase in speed, we arrived at the town in question in no time at all. As we made our way over to the inn, I took a small bit of time to observe the buildings around me and noticed that the architecture was very reminiscent of the Roman Empire back in its heyday. Once we arrived, the inn's owner came out and, once she heard what my business was, thanked me for bringing the goods over promptly, and offered us rooms of our choosing for our stay here. Thanking her, I asked for two rooms, one with a single bed and the other with two beds for the girls. Once we had unloaded the goods and had Filo park up the cart, I told the girls to bring their things to their room, after which I would have a word with them both.

Once this had all been done, and the girls were settled in their room, I came in and shut the door behind me before turning to them as they both sat on their beds. "Look, I don't want this to take too long, nor do I want to be doing this, but after what happened whilst we were fighting the plant monsters, I want to know what is up between the two of you. You seem to be constantly at each other's throats and it's doing more harm than good to our party dynamic. I would like an explanation."

Both of them remained silent for a while until Raphtalia spoke up, her ears drooping slightly. "It's nothing serious Master Fergus, we're just both trying to do our best to help you in gratitude for all you've done for us. I guess we've just been getting carried away. I'm sorry for my part in this."

"HMPH!" Filo huffed, folding her arms and looking away from Raphtalia. "She was the one who started it by almost getting herself killed against that large tree!"

"You were the one who failed to spot that vine that caught me!" Raphtalia responded indignantly.

"Hardly! You should have just been more careful. You also tried to steal a seed that I had picked up for Master Fergus!"

"I did not, that was my seed. I picked it up first. You tried to steal it from me!"

As the girls continued to bicker back and forth, I put my face in my hands, struggling to comprehend how stupid this was. After a while, I'd decided I had enough and silenced them both with a loud yell "Alright that's enough! Both of you!"

Thankfully this had the desired effect as both of them instantly stopped their argument and turned their gazes back to me, both of them giving off the air of scolded children. I let out a deep breath, choosing my next words carefully.

"Look, it's bad enough that the entire kingdom, as well as the other Heroes, are out to get us, but this, what you are doing here, doesn't help us in any way. Look at you both, arguing over pointless crap! You are on the same side, you're meant to be fighting alongside each other, not against each other."

I stopped to let this sink in for a second before continuing. "And about proving yourself to me, none of you need to do that any more. You have both done more than enough to earn my full trust. I am so proud of how far both of you have come, and I am so glad you have both decided to stay around me. And remember, I swore to protect you both, and I will always do so, but I can't do that if all you are going to do is fight amongst yourselves. We are a party, and we need to act like it."

I stopped one more time, giving them a few moments to mull over my words before I finished. "Now then, both of you apologise." A moment or two passed, and then I heard Raphtalia mumble an apology, both to Filo and myself. After a short while, Filo did the same.

"Again I'm sorry for having to do this, but it needed to said. Now I want both of you to think this over whilst we are in the springs. However, to make sure you both do this, the three of us will be bathing in separate areas of the spring. If I catch either of you trying to go into each other's spring, or into mine, you will not be allowed to bathe for the rest of our time here. Understood?"

"Okay." They both groaned, obviously not happy but accepting what I had to say. With this, I left the room to allow them to get changed as I headed to my room to do the same.

§

"_This is so nice._" I allowed myself to think as I relaxed into the warm waters of the hot spring. No matter what reality I was in, a hot spring was still a hot spring and I could feel all the stresses of the past few weeks get washed away. As I leaned my head back, I couldn't help but think about my real world. And honestly, I couldn't believe I hadn't thought about this until now. I suppose with everything going on I hadn't had much time to think about what was going on there.

Was time flowing at the same rate there as it was here? If that was the case I would have been missing for a few weeks now. I hate to think what my family and friends are going through after I had seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. Would I be able to go back one day? And if I could, how long would it be until I could go back? And what about the people I would be leaving behind here? It was all depressing to think about. I rationalised eventually that I would just have to keep going in this world until it came back up, there was nothing else I could do for now.

Speaking of keeping going, what would we do next? Seeing as Hickwaal had nothing else for us, the only option we really had was to keep going on our original travel route and continue to buy and sell goods until the time came for the next Wave, at which time we would return to the capital to prepare. Whilst there, I would also try and find Motoyasu and have a serious word with him about what had happened with the seed he planted. Hopefully, it might knock some sense into him and get him, and the others, to realise this was no longer a game and that every action had a consequence.

After a good few hours of relaxing, I finally decided to leave the springs as the sun started to set. As I came upon our rooms, I heard the soft patter of feet from behind, signalling that the girls had finished up too. As they both approached me, both looking much more relaxed, I asked them if they enjoyed themselves.

After getting two disconsolate replies that they had, I smiled softly at them. "Remember, really think on what I said earlier. Both of you sleep well, I'll see you in the morning." With this, I entered my room and shut the door before climbing into my bed. After taking a few moments to appreciate how much nicer sleeping in a bed was rather than camping in a sleeping bag, I drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Instead of waking up naturally, I got woken up by a pair of hands shaking me awake. Sitting up, I saw both Raphtalia and Filo both standing at the foot at my bed with their hands behind their back. "Is everything okay you two?" I asked sleepily.

The girls looked at each other once before Raphtalia spoke up. "After everything you said yesterday, I did as you asked and had a really long think about it. Filo and I also talked about it a lot last night, and we've decided to stop our arguing and start working together in order to best help you to the best of abilities. In thanks for helping us to come to our senses, we decided to buy you a little something." With this Filo brought her hands out from behind her back, handing to me a small box. Opening it, I found a crafting hammer resting there.

"We wanted to get you something that would help your crafting skills, and came across this. We both liked it, and we hope you do too. This is a thank you from both of us" Filo piped up.

I was genuinely touched by their thoughtfulness and, getting up out of bed, I went over and knelt in front of them, wrapping them both in a warm hug. "This is a wonderful gift, and I promise to make good use of this. Thank you, and thank you both for settling your differences." Releasing the hug, I gave them a warm smile. "How about this: If I get the cart prepared, you two can have one more dip in the springs before we leave. Sound good?" Both of them cheered at this, Raphtalia's tail swishing away in excitement before they both thanked me and charged out of the room to get changed and spend as much time in the springs as possible. Chuckling to myself, I proceeded to get dressed.

As the morning progressed, I packed up both my things and the girls' things and loaded them up into the cart. Whilst I was doing so, I overheard a conversation from two nearby villagers.

"Did you hear about that epidemic that's spreading in the east?" One of them asked quietly

"I did. Apparently, the people there are really suffering since they don't have enough medicine." The other responded equally as quietly.

This was enough to change our plans for now. Business could wait, saving people's lives were more important. As I finished packing, the girls came out, once more fully refreshed. "Where are we heading now Master Fergus?" Raphtalia asked, a warm smile on her face.

I turned to look at them both, my expression and tone indicating how serious what I was about to say was. "We're heading east."

**And that's another chapter down! This was a fun one to write. Again not so many changes to talk about but there are one or two I will address:**

**1\. Fergus not taking any financial reward for saving the village - This is going to become a regular thing in my story. I can understand why Naofumi does what he does in demanding a reward for what saving the villages, and to be fair he has a reason to as he was robbed of everything back in episode 1 and had to work back up from scratch. Fergus, as you know, didn't get robbed so still had plenty of money to start off with, even after purchasing Raphtalia and Filo's egg, and as such doesn't need as much financial reward. Also, he would feel incredibly guilty about demanding money from people who have been through hard times before he comes and saves them**

**2\. Fergus' sit-down chat with the girls - As a World of Warcraft player and raider, Fergus understands how a good group dynamic is vital to their success, and if that breaks down, the group would fall apart. But seeing as this world is real, a group that's not getting along well could end up dead very quickly due to miscommunication and infighting, something which Fergus recognised as soon as it started to happen against the plant monsters. He had to drop in some harshness but not too much considering the girls' ages, but now they are all on the same page, things should start going better for them**

**And in case you are wondering, Raphtalia and Filo's adventures during the second half of that episode still happened in this story. However since this story is being told from Fergus' perspective, I didn't feel like covering it. Just assume it happened as it did, and that's what helped bring them together.**

**Once again I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next week will be the battle with the zombie dragon, another chapter I enjoyed writing. Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now and I will see you in the next one!**


	13. Ch 11 - Zombie Dragon!

**This week has not been a fun one, had a lot going on that****'s just taken up too much of my time, plus I've not been at 100% health. My oldest dog's birthday was on Thursday, but he had another two seizures on Tuesday so that wasn't fun, plus one of my work clients ended up in hospital last weekend, leaving a cat all alone at home. This week, as well as juggling my usual clients and my dogs, I've had to pop in on this cat two or three times a day which is a fifteen-minute drive from my house and made sure he had been fed, watered, litter tray sorted etcetera, plus keeping him company. Hopefully, the situation will be sorted in the next few days so that he can be taken care of properly until his owner is out of hospital.**

**But that's why I haven't been able to do any writing this week. I managed to plan out the next chapter but I haven't done anything beyond that. I'm glad now that I have kept a chapter ahead up till now, just in case something like this happened. Now I'll be writing the same chapter I'll be publishing at the end of that week until I next take a week's break. To be honest I don't know if I'll be able to put up a chapter next week but I will see how I go. But if you see nothing next week, that's why.**

**Moving on to more interesting topics, how about episode 18? That was a great episode, no matter how much Motoyasu and Malty's actions continue to annoy us. Team Shield defeats Team Spear with newly-discovered combo attacks, but the real villain has been revealed. Cannot wait for next week's episode!**

**With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the following chapter. The chapter title is a reference to a Youtuber called WoWCrendor, and as you might have guessed this chapter will be dealing with the zombie dragon and the introduction of the Rage Shield. As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward. **

Chapter 11 - Zombie Dragon!

"So why are we heading out this way, Master Fergus?" Raphtalia asked me as we travelled swiftly to our next destination. I was currently holding Filo's reins and Raphtalia was sat beside me.

"You remember the town with the hot springs? Whilst we were preparing to leave, I heard rumours of an epidemic spreading over this area, and how the people who live here don't have enough medicine to cope. That's what we're going to do for them, as well as hopefully put a stop to everyone's suffering."

"You're going out of your way to help people you don't even know? That's so like you Master Fergus, you are so compassionate." She said in a warm tone.

I turned my head away to hide my blush at her kind words. "If he has the power to do so, a Hero should always do what is right, especially when innocent people's lives are in danger." She nodded in understanding, and the conversation ended there as I focused on the road ahead.

Despite going as fast as we could for most of the day, we were still quite a distance away from our final destination. Even though we could have kept going through the night, I wanted to conserve everyone's strength just in case, and as such, I told Filo to find a suitable place to stop so that we could make camp. Once we did, and after a short meal, the girls went to sleep very quickly. However, for whatever reason, I just couldn't get to sleep. And so rather than wasting time trying, I decided to make use of the hours where I was alone and craft some surprises for the girls. After a few hours of working away, I was able to forge a bracelet for Raphtalia and a hair-clip for Filo, both with useful upgrades for them. Deciding to surprise them with these at a later time, I used the remaining time I had to study the grimoire once more, in case there were any spells I had missed.

§

Despite the fact I had been awake through it all, the night passed relatively quickly, and as dawn broke the girls started waking up.

"Hey, you two sleep well?" I asked them, snapping the grimoire shut.

"Very well thank you, Master Fergus," Raphtalia replied, with Filo nodding in agreement. "How about you? How was your sleep?"

I ran my hand through my head nervously, not wanting to upset the girls but deciding on the truth anyway. "Honestly, I didn't sleep a wink last night. I just couldn't drop off so I managed to occupy myself. I'm sure I'll be okay though."

Raphtalia came over to me and, placing a hand on my shoulder, looked down at me with concern. "This isn't the first time though, is it Master Fergus? Are you sure you are okay?"

I smiled at her concern, taking her hand in mine as I stood up. "I think the first night after I arrived in this world has been the only full night's sleep I've gotten, with everything that's happened since then and all." My response didn't take away her worried look though, so I tried easing her concern. "Once this business with the epidemic is over, I'll really try my best to get a full night's sleep okay?"

This seemed to satisfy both Raphtalia and Filo, who had been looking on worriedly as well, and with that, we set about making a quick breakfast since I wanted to be on the road again as quickly as possible. Just as I was hitching Filo up to the cart, Raphtalia tapped me on the shoulder and pointed in the direction we were heading. As I looked down the path, I saw why she had got my attention in the forms of an elderly woman and a young boy slowly heading in our direction, neither of them looking in good health whatsoever. Raphtalia gave me a pleading look, obviously wanting to help them. I nodded in response, which caused her to set off at a dash towards them. As she greeted them and asked if they were doing okay, I told Filo we'd be delaying our departure and moved back over to our campsite to prepare a quick and warm meal for the pair of travellers.

It didn't take much convincing on Raphtalia's part for the pair to come over and sit at our campsite, and as they sat down I offered them each a bowl of broth that I had quickly made up for them which they received gratefully. I waited for them to finish before asking my first question. "I hope that's helped you out a little. If it's not too much to ask, why are you headed this way?"

The woman looked at me with a haunted expression. "All three of you should turn back and not come any further. All you will find up ahead is death."

Raphtalia and I looked at each other curiously, unable what to make of this, so I decided to probe a little further. "We've heard rumours of an epidemic in this area. Can you confirm that for us?"

The woman nodded. "There's a village at the base of a cliff that we have just come from. Everyone there, even the village elder, has been struck down by a plague that recently swept through the area, and so far no-one has been able to help."

"Well, that's why we are here," Raphtalia spoke up firmly. "We're going to go up to the village, and Master Fergus is going to cure everyone there and stop this plague." I couldn't help but feel another blush from Raphtalia's words but settled for nodding in agreement.

"You shouldn't go up there, you'll get infected too," the woman warns us, but her expression does lighten a little after that. "But at the same time, I am glad someone is willing to step up and help. So thank you, and thank you for the meal. We don't want to trouble you any further." With this, she and the boy both stood up and, wishing us well, set off on their route once more, which we also took as our cue to finish loading up and get on the road ourselves.

As Filo thundered along at a faster pace, as though sensing the increased urgency in our mission, Raphtalia had one more question to ask of me. "What manner of plague could affect a whole village in such a short amount of time?"

I grimaced at this. "I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it's not going to be pleasant. Let's just hope we get there sooner rather than later."

§

It was just as the woman said. The village we came across was nestled at the bottom of a cliff, and even as we were coming up to it it looked like a ghost town. As we came up to the gates, I jumped off the cart, handing the reins to Raphtalia as I started to walk in front, looking for any signs of life. However, no-one greeted us as we entered, and as we walked through the first street, the silence and the empty buildings started to unnerve all three of us.

"_This really does remind me of a ghost town from those old films back in my world_," I thought to myself as I kept scanning for any sign of life. Our arrival was eventually greeted as one of the villagers popped his head out of the door of his house. "Greetings travellers. What brings you to this place?"

"I heard the rumours of a plague that had affected this area and have brought medicine for those who been struck by it. Can you direct me to…" I trailed off my explanation as I noted the man's gaze had travelled to Filo, his face brightening as he did so.

"Hang on, is that the Heavenly Fowl? That must mean…" and with this, he turns his gaze back to me, quickly realising who we were. "…You must be the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl!" With this, he dashes out of the house, completely blind-siding us as he ran off further into the village, calling out for the doctor. Filo and I shared a look, both of us shrugging our shoulders before heading into the direction that the villager ran off. Soon enough, we came upon a church-like structure and spotted the villager from earlier at the front door of the building, speaking to someone on the inside about how the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl has come to their aid. As I approached with the cart, the person on the inside, garbed in a medieval doctor's uniform, spotted us and came out to greet us.

"Is it true, are you really the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl?" He asked hesitantly.

I nodded. "I am, and I've come to help the people affected by the plague. May I ask who you are?"

"I'm the village doctor," the man says, introducing himself. "And this building is where I've set up a clinic to help treat the afflicted. We're doing the best we can, but without enough medicine, it's hard to treat everyone."

I turned my head to face Raphtalia who was currently holding Filo's reins. "Unload some of the medicine we have and bring it inside." As she nodded, I turned back to the doctor. "Can I see them? I'm here to help."

"Of course, any help you can offer is appreciated." The doctor says, leading me inside the building. As we passed through the various rooms and passageways, all I could see were crowds of the afflicted, all of them looking pale, worn out and very emaciated, and it was the same story in the main triage area, where they had squeezed in as many beds as possible to cater for the worst of the afflicted. As we entered, one of the nurses came up to the doctor, asking who I was.

"This is the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl," the doctor responded. "And he's come to offer his assistance in helping everyone here."

I nodded. "You don't have to keep calling me that. For future reference, my name is Fergus, bit easier on the tongue. Am I correct in that the symptoms are the same in everyone here?"

"They are. Coughing, lethargy and pale complexions. Doesn't matter if you are old or young, very few of us were spared." The nurse replied, looking around sadly at all the afflicted. As I was about to respond, I heard a muffled sob from behind me. Turning around, I noticed Raphtalia had entered and that, upon seeing the bad state everyone was in, had started trembling from shock and sadness. Going over to her, I gently took the vials of medicine she was carrying out of her hands and told her to sit down so she could compose herself, to which she nodded in gratitude. Once she had, I started going around all the afflicted, dispensing the medicine in combination with my Potion Enhance Skill. This was able to at least bring colour to everyone's skin and treat the immediate symptoms. However, unless we could discover and eradicate the source of the plague, they would just get infected again.

Eventually, I ran out of the medicine I currently had with me, and so went back out to the cart to fetch some more. As I came back out of the cart with some more vials, I heard a sniffing sound from nearby. Looking over in that direction, I saw a villager kneeling on the ground, sobbing over some graves that had been dug there.

"_Damnit, it's already started killing people,_" I thought to myself, struggling to control the swell of helplessness and heartache I was currently feeling as the villager continued to weep. "_I swear, I will do whatever it takes to end this crisis as soon as possible so that no more people have to die._"

§

It took some time, but I was able to administer medicine to every single one of the afflicted currently in the clinic. Once that was done, the doctor asked if we could talk upstairs away from everyone. Seeing as I had one or two questions to ask about the situation, I agreed and asked Raphtalia and Filo to come up as well. When we arrived, we found not only the doctor waiting for us but also the nurse we had met earlier.

"Thank you for all you have done for us Fergus," the doctor said as we all took a seat. It was cramped but we made do. "As I said before, our efforts have been limited due to a lack of medicine, but after what you've done, we should be able to treat these people a little better."

"Don't thank me just yet," I warned them. "I may have been able to treat the symptoms, but everyone will just get unwell again until the source of the plague is dealt with. Do you have any idea what the cause of this is?"

The doctor nodded and proceeded to explain. "Not far from us is a mountain, and due to its size, the winds that blow down from there are felt in this village. Until recently, it was also home to a giant dragon, but that changed when the Sword Hero came and slew the dragon. However, instead of getting rid of it, he decided to leave the corpse where it was so that people could come from all over and recognise his heroic deed. And for a time, that is exactly what happened. People and adventurers alike came from all across the realm just for a chance to see a dragon's corpse, and this, in turn, brought a lot of business and income to our village. That changed one day when one of the adventurers who was looking at the corpse suddenly collapsed, and then all of a sudden everyone in proximity to it started collapsing as well. From what we were told, the dragon's rotting flesh had started emitting a form of poison, which explained the sudden collapses, and with the wind blowing this poison down from the mountain, it didn't take long for it to spread through the whole area surrounding the mountain, including this village."

As the doctor told his tale, I couldn't help but put my head in my hands once again. Another dire situation caused by another Hero's stupidity! This was getting pathetic. As the doctor finished his tale, Raphtalia looked over in my direction and noticed my posture. "Master Fergus, are you okay?"

I held up a hand to stall any further questions from anyone else until I could hold in my frustration no longer. I leaned my head back and let out another shout of rage. "DAMN YOU REN!" The others were startled by my sudden outburst, with the nurse even turning to my companions and asking if I was holding up alright.

"Sorry everyone, I just needed to let that out. I'm fine," I quickly explained. "I was just frustrated that another situation has come about due to the actions of one of the Heroes. I honestly thought Ren was a smart one, but what sort of idiot does it take to leave a corpse out to rot instead of disposing of it properly? Still treating this as a bloody game…"

As I continued my rambling tirade against Ren and the others, Raphtalia directed a question towards the doctor. "If you knew what the source of the plague is, how come you haven't taken any steps to take care of it?"

"We would have, but the monsters on that mountain are far too powerful for just anybody to take care of," the doctor responded. "And with the poison spreading through the area, I fear that the monsters there have been mutated and as such are even more deadly than before. That's probably why no adventurers have dared to go near."

As this discussion was happening, I had finished my rant and my mind was now back on the situation at hand. "Has the Capital been informed of the situation? Will they provide any assistance?"

The nurse responded to my enquiry. "We've been able to procure a supply of medicine from the capital, but it is unlikely to arrive for a while yet. They've also informed us that the other Heroes are currently occupied and cannot offer any assistance."

"_In other words, the Capital couldn't care less and are only doing the bare minimum for an out-of-the-way village. And the other Heroes being busy? That's just an excuse for them not caring!_" I thought bitterly to myself before responding to what the nurse just told us. "Any Hero worthy of the title would drop everything to help out those in peril. But I digress, let's just hope those supplies arrive swiftly. In the meantime, the three of us will take care of this."

This gets nods of agreement from both Raphtalia and Filo, who were both delighted to be able to play their part in saving these people. "We can't ask you to do that, it's too dangerous!" The doctor tried to argue but I shook my head.

"I will not stand idly by when I have the power to save these people," I stated firmly. "I swear, we will do everything we can to end this plague."

Seeing there was no possible way to convince me otherwise, the doctor and nurse thanked us profusely and wished us luck, as well as providing us with face masks to protect ourselves from the effects of the poison.

§

"We would've been able to travel lighter and arrive there much faster if Filo hadn't thrown her little temper tantrum before we left!" Raphtalia complained behind her mask as the cart thundered along the pathway towards the base of the mountain.

I sighed, remembering how Filo protested about leaving the cart behind, claiming it was full of too many memories for them to abandon it. "Even though her reasons for not wanting to leave the cart behind were selfish, it was actually the right decision to make. We're probably going to need a lot of supplies in order to cleanse and move the dragon's corpse safely," I responded, equipping my Viper Chimera Shield as I spoke which would give me a medium resistance to poison. Raphtalia was about to protest further but was interrupted by a commotion in front of us, which turned out to be a swarm of monsters that had appeared to block our path.

"Are we going to fight them, Master Fergus?" Raphtalia asked, moving to draw her sword.

I shook my head. "We don't have the time to stop." Saying this, I held out my arm in Filo's direction. "Fast Guard!" At my command, a green aura surrounded Filo which would protect her from any damage for a set amount of time. "Alright Filo, plough straight on through! Don't stop for anything!"

"Okay! Hold on tight, because HERE! WE! GO!" With this gleeful cry, Filo accelerated to a much faster speed, and just I had hoped the monsters in her path were easily barrelled aside as she ploughed through them.

With Filo's increased speed, we soon reached the area where the dragon corpse was located. It wasn't hard to miss as the air was considerably fouler, which made breathing difficult for us. Filo had it much worse since she couldn't wear a face mask, but if she was suffering she didn't complain. Drawing the cart to a halt, Raphtalia and I quickly unloaded a few tools to help clear the dragon's corpse and, after a small bite to eat, the three of us cautiously started the small trek towards the corpse. As we did so, Raphtalia started coughing away but waved away my concern saying she would be fine

As we approached, I was able to get a good look at the dragon's remains. Most of the blue skin was still intact but was completely rotten, and in a few places you could see the dragon's insides which were attracting flies and other parasitic critters. And there was blood pouring out of the various wounds that Ren had inflicted that was congealing at the base of the plateau on which the corpse had been left. And don't get me started on the smell, it was disgusting beyond belief! The sooner we could get this done the better. "Damn this is one big beast," I remarked. "This will be a pain to get rid of, but let's get to it people."

This drew nods of understanding from my companions as we carefully approached the plateau. Just as I was looking for a way to get up, the ground on which it was on started trembling, which soon spread to the whole area around us.

"Both of you! Get back and be careful! Something isn't right here!" I yelled out to the girls as the ground's rumblings only increased. All of a sudden, the blood that had slowly been dripping off the side of the plateau stopped it's flow and instead flowed back into the corpse. To top this all off, the empty eyes in the dragon's skull suddenly started emitting a crimson glow. As we looked on in horror, the corpse slowly started getting to its feet, and as it did so, it spread its wings and let out a loud roar, before it lowered it's head and fixed its gaze on us.

"_This is fucking necromancy!_" I thought to myself in panic as I saw the corpse get to its feet. "_But I don't know if necromancy exists in this world! No doubt about it though, this is an undead dragon. No, it's worse than that!_" "IT'S A ZOMBIE DRAGON!" I yelled out in horror. "WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE A GOD-DAMNED ZOMBIE DRAGON?!"

"What should we do?" Raphtalia cried out fearfully, paralysed at what she was seeing.

"We need to back up and try and come up with a plan of attack…" As I was saying this, I heard a fierce cry from my other side as Filo, eyes blazing with fury, charged past me and started assaulting the dragon with her claws.

"Filo! Get back!" I cried out, but Filo completely ignored me as she continued her assault, launching attacks from all angles at the dragon which was struggling to keep up. But at the same time, Filo's attacks weren't doing any damage whatsoever. "It's useless! Filolials and Dragons absolutely despise each other! No wonder she's worked up like this!" Raphtalia cried out.

"_Shit she's right, I remember how mad she got at Motoyasu's pet dragon!_" I thought to myself, watching on helplessly as Filo continued her attack. All of a sudden, the dragon brought it's head back and inhaled deeply, which I quickly recognised as the signs of a breath attack. "BREATH ATTACK INCOMING! Both of you, get behind me!" I yelled. Thankfully, this got through to Filo who retreated and, along with Raphtalia, got behind me just in time as the dragon unleashed its poison breath attack. I was able to block the worst of it with my Viper Chimera Shield, but some of it still got through and damaged us.

"_Shit, I fucked up! I can resist the poison due to my Shield, but that doesn't apply to the girls!_" The situation was getting desperate, but I knew we needed to see this through and somehow slay this dragon so that we could end the plague in the village. We needed a plan, and that was all on me.

However, Filo's inbred hatred for dragons didn't allow her to wait for such, and as soon as the breath attack faded she went on the attack once more, despite my and Raphtalia's constant calls for her to stop. Things then went from bad to worse as Raphtalia soon fell to her knees, continually coughing away as the poison got to her. This was getting really bad, with Filo out of control and Raphtalia in no condition to fight. We needed to retreat and regroup.

"Filo! Get out there, we're leaving!" I called out, moving to grab hold of Raphtalia and help her out of there. This too was able to get through to Filo, as she turned her head at my order. But that proved to be her undoing. As Raphtalia and I looked on in horror, unable to move to help, she vanished from sight as the dragon's jaws snapped closed over her.

"NO! FILO!" I cried out in despair, falling to my knees and watching on in horror as the dragon swallowed Filo whole. This couldn't be happening…not Filo! Anyone but Filo! I could faintly hear Raphtalia burst into tears, feebly crying out for Filo. But it was too late…Filo was gone…and it was all my fault. The dragon spewed out another breath attack, which I barely got my Shield up to block as my brain still struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

"_I'm such a failure,_" I thought to myself despairingly, as memories of my time with Filo flooded through my head, bringing tears to my eyes. "_I swore to keep them safe. I swore I'd protect them. And I couldn't even do that. Oh, Filo, I am so sorry, I am so so sorry! You were so innocent, so sweet, so child-like, you didn't deserve this fate!_"

As my tears continued to fall, and despair seeped through every part of my being, everything around me faded away. All that was left was just me, in a dark space, alone with my failures and my despair.

"_Has everything I've done just led to more and more disaster?_" I thought to myself with increasing despair. "_Everything has been one catastrophe after another ever since I arrived in this world, especially as the world seems to be doing it's very best to fuck me over and take everything I have worked for away from me. I have fought, and I have struggled, and I have scratched and clawed with everything I have to protect those who rely on me, and yet at every opportunity, someone or something has done their utmost to push me back down and leave me alone once more._" With these thoughts, memories of various events from my journey passed through my mind:

My attempts at trying to get along with the other Heroes, even though they were complete strangers at the time, only for them to turn on me due to Malty's false rape accusation.

My initial respect for King Aultcray, torn to shreds by his continued attempts to degrade me and make my life miserable.

The leader of the band of soldiers we encountered at Lute Village who refused to help us retake the village, only focusing on me supposedly being a criminal.

Motoyasu trying to steal Raphtalia away from me, even after our duel in which I had fought and conducted myself with more honour than those in attendance had deserved.

And most of all, that fucking bitch Malty Melromarc, who I had first met when she was just Myne the adventurer and who I'd treated with the utmost kindness and respect, and who had now made it her life's mission to destroy me by any means necessary, both physically and by sullying my reputation.

And now Filo, so loyal, so sweet, cruelly snatched away from me by a zombie dragon, which only existed due to Ren's incompetence.

§

**_DO YOU WANT MORE POWER?_**

"_Huh? What does it mean by more power?_" I thought to myself. Before I could process this any further, another message popped up in my field of view.

**_DO YOU HATE EVERYONE?_**

Even though hate was a bad emotion, it's as if my status screen was reading my mind. My current moment of despair was amplifying my hatred for those who had wronged me. And right now, to get my vengeance upon them, as well as to protect the innocent and those I cared about, I would accept any sort of power. As if reading my mind once more, my upgrade tree started to fizzle out, and in its place were the five words that finally sent me over the edge:

'Curse Series - Shield of Rage'

Yes…Rage. Wrath. Hatred. Anger. All of those emotions, they all felt so good right now. They would give me the power to crush my enemies, to set this world aflame. Only then would my vengeance be satisfied…

"_Hate…_" Aultcray's face passed through my mind, sneering down at me

"_HATE…_" The faces of the other three Heroes looking down at me, Motoyasu's face more prominent and set in an expression of loathing

"HATE!…" I now openly expressed my anger as the face of the Bitch Queen floated before me, that superior smirk I hated so much plastered across her face.

"HATE!" The final face passed before me, the dragon who taken my friend Filo away from me, and who would be the perfect target to vent my rage upon. With this, I crossed the blood-red line, and I let out a wild roar of rage that rose to the heavens as my eyes turned completely red, the same red aura from the arena now blazing into life all around me. With this, my vision fully returned. And all I could see in front of me was the dragon.

My enemy. The target of my rage. And the sacrifice I would make to fuel my anger.

So be it.

I calmly strode forward to meet my nemesis, completely unconcerned with what it could do, not caring whatsoever that it could kill me in one go. These things didn't matter. All mattered was that this dragon had to die. Slowly. Painfully. Only then would Filo be properly avenged.

As I passed by Raphtalia, I barely noticed her reaching for me, a cry on her lips that was dull in my ears. The only thing that existed for me right now was the dragon, who lifted up a claw in a vain attempt to swat me away.

Let it try. I will not be stopped.

As the claw came down, I blocked it with my Shield, remaining completely expressionless throughout. The dragon, sensing something was wrong, retracted it's claw and backed up slightly as my Shield changed form once more. Gone was my dull and plain Small Shield. Now in my grasp was the personification of my inner hatred and the means by which I would exact my vengeance upon this dragon, upon Malty, upon the King and upon everyone who looked down on me. I had felt it's power once before, but I had not fully given into it. But that was then, this was now, and I completely gave myself over to the power of this Shield, the Shield of Rage.

I roared once more, a roar of pure, unadulterated hatred as anger completely pulsed through my veins, and my Shield responded, spewing forth a torrent of flames at the dragon. It tried it's best to avoid them, but a lick of flame caught it's tail and caused the dragon to start thrashing about as it tried to put the fires out.

"THAT'S RIGHT! BURN YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" I growled as I continued to spew flames forth from my Shield, the faces of all of my enemies continually flashing through my mind. "I WILL BURN YOU ALL! I WILL WATCH YOU SUFFER! AND I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" With each punctuation, the intensity of the flames increased, and the dragon's pained roars only got louder, roars that I drank in as though they were the sweetest drink I had ever tasted.

But then, everything stopped.

"_Master Fergus?_" I heard Raphtalia's voice call out in my mind.

"_Huh? Is that…Raphtalia?_" All of a sudden, a rush of words pass through my mind, all of them with one thing in common: They were all being spoken in Raphtalia's voice:

"_I will always be by your side, no matter what people say about you."  
"I will never forgive any of you for what you have put him through!_"  
"_I will fight at your side, against the Wave and whatever comes after that._"  
"_My place, as it always has been, is at the side of the Shield-Hero_"  
"_I will always fight at his side!_"  
"_Fergus Ward, also known as the Legendary Shield-Hero, will you allow me, Raphtalia, to fight alongside you once more as your Sword?_"  
"_I always believed in you Fergus, and I will always continue to do so. From now until the end of time, my place is with you._"  
And once again, most prominently of all: "_Please don't ever leave me, Fergus. Don't leave me alone! I want to stay with you forever._"

"_Raphtalia…she was the only one who ever believed me back then. And the only one who stuck by me from the very start, her and Filo both, and has fought at my side ever since. And I swore…what did I swear?… I swore…I swore…I swore that I would always protect her…I swore that I would always keep her safe…AND I SWORE THAT I WOULD NEVER LEAVE HER SIDE!_"

All my feelings, all my care, all my love and feelings of duty towards my best friend in this world rushed up within my soul, and it was enough to pierce the angry swarm of my rage. And is what allowed me to break through the red mist and regain full control of myself once more. And as I did so, I noticed a hand clasped around my right arm, a hand that was badly marked by burns and weak from poison…

"_No, please don't let it…_" But it was as my eyes looked down at the arm that the hand was attached to, and the person to whom that arm belonged. Despite everything she had suffered through, despite the burn marks upon her skin, despite the poison flowing through her system that left her weak and defenceless, she'd somehow managed to find the strength to clasp her hand in mine, her strong hand which had brought me back from the brink of my anger.

"Raphtalia…"I called out weakly as her tired eyes locked with my own, feelings of relief and love reflected in her crimson orbs.

"Master…Fergus…I am glad…so glad that you've…come back to me. That those eyes of yours…those eyes I love so much…are back to normal. I'm…so…" As she was saying this, she crumpled to the ground once more.

"RAPHTALIA! NO!" I cried out in horror as I knelt down by her side, gathering her up in my arms. "WAKE UP! PLEASE WAKE UP RAPHTALIA! I CAN'T LOSE YOU TOO!" She didn't respond, which only drove me to further panic. I brought my hand to her skill and called out "HEAL!" The green glow from my hand enveloped her body but didn't do anything. I tried again with the same result. I kept trying and trying to heal her, but all my efforts were in vain as she remained unresponsive, burn marks still visible on her skin.

"This is all my fault…" I sobbed to myself, tears starting to fall as I held Raphtalia close, burying my face in her hair. "If I hadn't been so weak, if I hadn't given in to my anger and let it control my body…but I was stupid, so stupid, and because of my stupidity, because of my weakness…all I've done is hurt those who I care about. I'm so sorry Raphtalia…I'm so sorry…" My sobs were interrupted by the roar of the zombie dragon, who had managed to douse the flames from my Rage Shield and was inbound on our position once more. I quickly positioned myself between it and Raphtalia as it swiped a claw at us once more, which I again blocked with my flaming Shield, which then proceeded to spew flames uncontrollably once more.

"_Damn it, I need to get this Shield out of here right now!_" I focused on trying to change Shields but the Rage Shield wouldn't budge, the only response I got was more flames being spewed. "_This is really bad…but then again, this could be the only Shield I currently possess that can defeat this dragon._" With this, I crouched down, ready to charge in and attack the dragon once more when all of sudden, the dragon started convulsing all over the place, unable to control its own movements. As I watched, dumbfounded, the dragon collapsed in a heap after a short period of it thrashing about, and the red glow in its eyes faded.

"_That wasn't anything I did….what the hell happened?_" My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Raphtalia trying to stir. At this, I completely forgot all about the dragon and my Rage Shield, which unbeknownst to me had faded after the dragon's death and was now the Small Shield once again as I crouched down once more and gathered her to me.

"Raphtalia…are you okay?" I asked her gently, making sure I didn't grip too hard in her condition.

She coughed weakly but had a small smile on her face. "I'm okay Master Fergus. Your healing spells, they really helped. Thank you."

I bowed my head in shame, struggling to hold back my tears. "You shouldn't be thanking me Raphtalia. It's my fault that you're in this state. All the hurt, all the pain I've caused you…is completely unforgivable. I don't deserve your gratitude, only your anger…"

"Master Fergus…" As she spoke these words, she placed a hand on my cheek, forcing me to look back down at her. There was no anger or hatred in her gaze, only love and sympathy. "That isn't true Master Fergus. If you hadn't done what you did, we surely would have died. You kept me safe, just as you promised, and I am so glad that we are both alive. You are my Hero, and you always will be…"

Raphtalia…she was such an angel. Despite everything I had done to her just now, the only thing on her mind was my health and my safety. I truly didn't deserve her, but here she was all the same, willingly by my side. And truth be told, I didn't want her to be anywhere else right now. With this, I rested my forehead on hers, an action which only widened her angelic smile.

We held this position for a short while before Raphtalia broke it as she turned her gaze over to the dragon's inanimate corpse. "It's over…we did it…"

I wiped my tears, following her gaze to look at the corpse. "Yeah, I guess we did…it's just…so awful that we had to lose Filo in the process. And for that reason, this doesn't feel like a victory." With these words, I felt tears fall down my face once more as Raphtalia cried fresh tears as well, as the pair of us mourned our fallen friend.

But then, a miracle occurred on this dark day. All of a sudden, I saw a flurry of movement from within the dragon's stomach before it proceeded to burst completely open. And out of it rolled a large white-feathered shape, which proceeded to shake itself off before turning to look at us.

"Hi there Master Fergus! Hi there Raphtalia! Sorry I took so long to get out!" Filo called out, lifting a wing in apology as she waddled over to us.

"_Filo…SHE'S ALIVE!"_ I couldn't tell which emotion was the most dominant at this time, all I knew was that I was engulfed in a swirling mess of them which caused me to burst into a new flood of tears. I lowered Raphtalia down gently before running towards Filo and launching myself at her, wrapping my arms around her middle as best I could as I hugged her tightly. Filo looked startled by this behaviour at first before gently wrapping her wings around me, hugging me back. "FILO! You're alive! I'm…I'm so glad you're okay! And I'm so sorry for getting your hurt!" I sobbed into her chest.

"How…how is this possible Filo? We saw all the blood from when the dragon ate you!" Raphtalia spoke up, fresh tears falling from her face as she struggled to believe what she was seeing.

Filo lifted a wing to her chin in thought at Raphtalia's enquiry. "Oh! I know what you mean! When that nasty dragon got me in its jaws I accidentally threw up my meal from earlier down its stomach! Sorry about that."

My mess of emotions got to me again at her words as I burst into laughter whilst sobbing all the while. "Filo…that's just…such a you thing to say! I'm so glad you're still here!" I heard a small chuckle from Raphtalia as she expressed the same sentiments as she managed to get to her feet unsteadily. All of a sudden, the three of us were enveloped in a desperate and needy hug, not caring about anything else around us, but instead just taking solace in the fact that all three of us were alive and okay.

§

We remained in our hug for a very long time, none of us wanting to let go for fear of losing each other once more. However, once we eventually pulled away, none of us vanished. We were all really here!

As Raphtalia and I proceeded to wipe our tears, Filo suddenly piped up. "Oh! Before I forget, I remember there being a really large purple crystal in the dragon's chest, which I managed to steal before I got out!"

"Well that explains why the dragon suddenly collapsed, you must have taken away the source of its power," I theorised. "So where is it now Filo?"

Filo looked down quite abashedly as all of a sudden a bright purple glow came from the middle of her chest. "I…um…I kind of…ate it. Sorry…" I shook my head and chuckled, that was such a Filo thing to do! My chuckles suddenly stopped as Raphtalia collapsed once again.

"RAPHTALIA!" Both Filo and I cried as we rushed down to her side. I gave her a rapid once-over and it wasn't good, her breathing had become increasingly laboured and her strength was completely spent. I made a snap decision. We'd take her back to the cart, give her some medicine and then take her back to the village so she could get proper treatment.

But Raphtalia shook her head as I explained my plan. "No…we…we have a job to do…remember? We…we have to get rid of the dragon."

"Raphtalia, you are my highest priority right now, and you are in no strength to-" I was cut off as Raphtalia grasped my hand as firmly as she could. "You promised…Master…you promised to save the villagers, remember? I promise…I'll take the medicine…and then lie down in the carriage whilst your work."

As much as I didn't want to leave her side, I had made a promise, and I would always keep my promises. I squeezed her hand in thanks before turning to Filo. "Filo, take Raphtalia back to the cart, and don't leave until she has taken some medicine, got it? Once she has, come back and help me clear up the corpse okay?" Filo nodded in agreement as she gently scooped Raphtalia on her back and carried her back to the cart, whilst I picked up a few tools and got to work.

It took some time and a lot of effort, but between myself and Filo we were able to properly dispose of the dragon's corpse, which made an immediate difference to the surrounding atmosphere. Since the air was much clearer now, I was able to remove my face mask as I returned to the cart. After hitching Filo up once more, I had her take us back to the village at a gentle pace whilst I tended to Raphtalia in the main body of the cart.

As we arrived back at the clinic, the doctor and the nurse from earlier came out to greet us. "You did it, Fergus! The air has cleared up, and the winds are back to normal. Once everyone recovers, this village can get back up and running!" The doctor enthused.

I, however, wasn't sharing in his enthusiasm as I gathered Raphtalia up in my arms and jumped down from the back of the cart. "I'm glad, but that's not my main concern right now. My companion here was seriously wounded in our fight against the dragon and needs major treatment."

A glance at Raphtalia's condition was enough to let them know how badly she was suffering. The nurse told me to bring her up to one of the rooms upstairs, promising to do the best she could to cure her. Thanking her, I carried her to where the nurse indicated and placed her gently on the bed provided. As the nurse got to work on Raphtalia, and with Filo sitting by her bedside in human form clutching her hand anxiously, the doctor asked me for a private word in a nearby room.

As I closed the door and sat at the opposite end of the table, the doctor pulled out a small bag of money and slid it across the table to me. "It's not much, but it's the least we could do to thank you for what you have done." I shook my head, pushing the money back across and spoke up in a weary tone. "I don't deserve this. I'm no Hero, I'm just a weak, stupid fool who almost got his party killed. Please, if you are going to put this money to use, I ask that you use it to help with curing Raphtalia."

The doctor lets out a sigh. "Regrettably, her wounds are beyond our skill to heal properly. But that doesn't mean we won't do what we can to make she won't be in any pain. The nurse is currently dipping some bandages in holy water and using these to bind the worst of her wounds, but that will only do so much. In order to properly cure her, you'll need to go to a major city and visit a church there. Ask for high-quality holy water and they should be able to give you one. It will be a bit pricey but.." and with this, he pushes the sack of money back in my direction. "Please, use this money to help pay for it."

This was the best news I'd had ever since we fought the dragon, and even though it wasn't an instant fix, I'd take it over nothing at all. And so I took the bag of money back, thanking the doctor for his generosity. "Thank you. Do you think I can go back in and see Raphtalia now?"

"The nurse should be done by now, so of course." He replied with a smile, shaking my hand as I left.

The sight that greeted me when I returned filled me with relief. Raphtalia was sitting up in her bed, looking so much better, and was chatting away happily with Filo and the nurse. As I entered, she looked up and smiled at me, which I couldn't help but return before the nurse spoke up, grabbing my attention. "She's recovering well. Give her a day or two of rest and she should be back on her feet."

"Thank you very much for all you've done, I'm in your debt," I replied with a small bow. The nurse smiled as she leaned in Raphtalia's ear and whispered something to her. Whatever it was, it caused Raphtalia to stammer and blush furiously. The nurse chuckled at this as she left the room. Once she was gone, I pulled up a chair on one side of Raphtalia's bed and asked Filo to do the same on the other.

I looked at Raphtalia, then at Filo, and then I took a deep breath as I lowered my head in shame, unable to meet their eyes. "Everything that happened to you today was my fault. I put you both in grave danger, and due to my weakness and loss of control, you both ended up seriously wounded, despite my promise to protect you." At these words, I clenched my fists in my lap in anger. "I'm no Hero, I'm just a fool, a stupid fool who can't even protect the ones he cares about. I appreciate your faith in me, but I have in no way been able to repay that faith. Instead, all I've done is brought you pain, suffering and despair, and if you want to leave, I won't stop you. I'm so sorry, to both of you."

A few seconds passed by as I continued to sit in silence, unable to bring myself to look at either of them. Suddenly, I felt a soft hand over one of my own and looking up, saw it was Raphtalia, whose eyes were gazing at me with tender affection. "When you lost yourself, all I could see was that you were far away from us. I was so scared, I didn't want to lose you, so despite my suffering, I did everything I could to bring you back. I don't ever want to leave you, Fergus. Not now, not ever. You are my Hero, and I will follow you to the ends of the earth."

"What she said!" Filo burst out enthusiastically before her expression became a little more solemn. "I'm sorry for not being able to control myself against the dragon Master Fergus. My actions only caused you both to suffer, and I am so sorry about that, and I will do my best to make it up to you! Here, have this!" With these words, she passed over a chunk of purple crystal. "I managed to get a chunk of that crystal for you!"

I squeezed Raphtalia's hand before taking the crystal from Filo, smiling and thanking her. I then proceeded to feed the crystal to my Shield, which resulted in my unlocking a new Shield, but I was unable to view it as it was hidden behind a question mark. A message popped up saying that this Shield required me to be a higher level to use it. "_Makes sense,_" I thought to myself. "_Wait, I didn't see the Rage Shield at all in my upgrade tree. That's not a good sign at all. Yes, it's powerful, but if I use it rashly like I did today, it will only end up hurting the people I care about. I'll have to be cautious with using it in future._" Pushing these thoughts aside I went around to the other side of the bed and took their hands in mine, smiling warmly at them both. "Thank you so much for your faith in me, I promise from now on I won't let you down. By supporting each other, we'll all get much stronger and be able to keep each other, as well as innocent people, safe."

This got nods of agreement from them both. "Now then, it's been a long day, and I'm sure we're all plenty tired. I suggest we all get a good night's rest, and then tomorrow we'll decide what to do next. Sound good?"

This got instant agreement from Filo, who ran over to the other side of the room and leapt on her bed, instantly lying down and falling asleep in short order. I chuckled at this before preparing to leave for my own room. However, before I could leave, I was stopped as Raphtalia refused to let go of my hand.

"What's wrong Raphtalia?" I asked, turning round to face her. She looked down nervously, a slight blush creeping across her face as she responded. "Fergus…C-Could you…spend the night with me?"

"_Wait? What?_" I thought to myself in panic, but the look on her face was one of pleading, something was bothering her so instead of the startled enquiry I had planned, I instead addressed her in a more gentle tone. "Why are you asking me this?"

Her blush only increased as she continued. "With everything that's been going on recently, I find myself wanting to be apart from you less and less. And I almost lost you today, something that terrified me beyond belief. I…I just really need this…if it's not too much to ask of course I-I understand if you don't want to-"

I put a halt to her rambling with a finger to her lips, which only caused her blush to deepen further as I smiled at her warmly. "It's okay, I understand. Just for tonight though, we don't want Filo getting jealous, or other people getting the wrong idea. Let's just move a few things around first…"

Thankfully, I was able to make an arrangement that made everyone happy. I was currently lying in Raphtalia's bed, with Raphtalia herself currently snuggled into my left side, her arm draped over my chest. On my right side was Filo's bed, which I moved up alongside Raphtalia's, and that was where Filo was currently snoozing away, her left hand clasped in my right hand.

As I lightly stroked Raphtalia's hair and squeezed Filo's hand, I resolved to myself that I would get stronger by any means necessary, alongside those who had complete faith in me, and that I would do whatever I had to do to keep the two girls by my side safe from any harm.

This I swore on my life.

**Okay, that's another chapter down. Some parts of it were hard to write and it probably won't be the best chapter I've ever written. However, it looks as though it will be the longest so far so there is that. Let's go through some of the changes. Again there aren't many but there are one or two, and some important plot points I wanted to keep:**

**1\. Fergus losing control to the Rage Shield - That was never going to change. Even though Fergus is outwardly showing a much kinder personality than Naofumi, the anger and frustration with everything that has happened so far have still been building up, and it all exploded after Filo's apparent death just like it did in the story.**

**2\. Fergus cursing out Ren - That's my gag for this story. First Motoyasu, now Ren. When Itsuki screws up, there's going to be a big "DAMN YOU!" heading his way too.**

**3\. Fergus not wanting payment for curing the afflicted - Something I touched upon in the last chapter. Fergus is not the sort to take payment for something that is simply the right thing to do, plus he is better off for money than Naofumi is at this point in the story. However, he does still accept the money from the doctor to pay for the Holy Water. That was mostly due to the Doctor's insistence combined with Fergus' exhaustion and unwillingness to argue**

**4\. Fergus spending the night in the same room as the girls - After everything that happened to them that day, I wanted this in as a tender and heart-warming moment where the three of them take comfort in each other's company. I'm still deciding whether or not to turn this into an OC/Raphtalia pairing, although some of the actions in this chapter from both of them could point that way. I'll make that decision as the story progresses. For now, nothing of a sexual nature happened, just three friends spending the night sleeping in the same room.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. As I said, I'm not sure if I'll be able to put up the next chapter next week. It sucks but at the end of the day I have to put myself, my health and my work commitments above writing this story, no two ways about it. I'll try my best but if it doesn't appear next Friday, don't be surprised. **

**And in that chapter, we'll be meeting up with Melty, heading back to the capital and encountering the Pope, and then it'll be time for Fergus vs Motoyasu, Round Two. **

**Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you in the next one.**


	14. Ch 12 - To The Capital Once More

**You must be thinking, why is this chapter coming out on a Saturday? Well again, this week has been a long and exhausting one. Mother****'s on holiday so I'm home alone with the dogs, which means early morning walks. Thought I was done cat-sitting for one of my clients? Nope, gets out of the hospital on Monday, goes back in on Friday so I'm cat-sitting again until Tuesday when hopefully the RSPCA will get involved. And all of this whilst balancing work and life in general, I don't get much time to myself, especially to write this story.**

**Hence why there will be NO chapter next week. I need another week off to recover and get myself in a good place once more. Make no mistake I'm very much in the writing groove, but I'm still putting too much pressure on myself to keep up with the schedule I set for this story whilst not having the time to do so. **

**Also, since the dub for Rising of the Shield Hero has been delayed for a few weeks, I'm going to stop putting spoilers in the author's notes of each chapter. Whilst I don't mind watching the subs, I know there are many who much prefer waiting for the dub. I know this for myself as I have a friend who doesn't like watching subs. I'm not one who prefers sub over dub or vice-versa but for dub-only watchers, I'll stop talking about the events of the episode. Needless to say, it was a good episode all the same.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 12 - To the Capital Once More

After having the most relaxing night's sleep I had had since I had first arrived in this world, I got the girls together after breakfast to inform them of our next course of action.

"Now that we've ended the plague in this region, our business here is done. I've decided, and I'm sorry about this because I know how much you two enjoy our trading business, but I'm putting that on hold for the time being. Eventually we will come back to it but for now, we have more urgent business to take care of." I announced

"What do you mean Master Fergus?" Filo piped up, looking a bit forlorn that her jaunting about the country with our cart was coming to an end.

"As much as I hate the place, we need to return to the capital for two very important reasons: First of all, we need to get Raphtalia's injuries healed, and then after that, we'll need to make preparations for the next Wave which will be happening very soon."

"You don't need to do that Master Fergus, I'll be-" Raphtalia started to protest before I cut her off. "No Raphtalia, your health is our top priority. Besides, with the Wave inbound, it makes sense to do it whilst in the capital."

"I agree with our Master! Please Raphtalia, we both want you to get better!" Filo pleaded with Raphtalia, her eyes wide and round with worry. Between Filo's pleading look and my determined one, Raphtalia eventually backed down and agreed to this course of action. With that settled, we made our usual preparations to leave and were just about to head off when the village chief, now looking so much better from when we first arrived, came out to see us off.

"Thank you for all you have done for us Shield-Hero. If I might trouble you for one last favour?" I nodded, prompting him to continue as he drew out a small bag of money. "There's an area nearby with a powerful group of enemies, too strong for any of our soldiers to combat. If you could exterminate them for us, everyone here would be grateful. I will even pay you in advance so that you don't need to come back here when you are done."

It didn't take me too long to consider his request, after all, it was on our intended route and he was offering to pay in advance. Taking the money bag, I promised that we would get it done. As the chief thanked us, I shook Filo's reins once, indicating that she could set off. As we started our journey, I informed the girls about what the chief had asked of us. Turns out the area we were going to was not too far away from the village.

As we approached, I turned to Raphtalia. "I'm not going to tell you what to do here Raphtalia. If you don't want to fight due to your injuries, I don't mind. After all your health is our main concern."

She shook her head. "I won't lie, I can still feel my injuries a little. But I can still fight though Master, and I want to help."

I nodded. "Okay. But if you don't feel up to it at any point, let me know immediately and we'll get you out of there. Is that alright?" She reached over and squeezed my hand, smiling and nodding in acknowledgement.

Turns out I needn't have worried too much since the enemies we had to fight were a motley group of slime and insect creatures who were well within our level range. We took up our usual formation and enacted our tried-and-true strategy: I went out first to draw the enemies in, using my Shield to fend them off for a few seconds at which point Raphtalia and Filo would jump in to take them out. Since their chat in the village with the hot springs, the girls had really taken a step-up in their teamwork. It was now much more fluid, each of them calling out their targets to one another in order to take down our enemies efficiently and quickly.

Watching them work so well together brought a smile to my face and put my mind much more at ease. Just like in World of Warcraft, a party that functions well as a team as well as with each other works so much better than each of the party members going solo. With this dynamic, I was increasingly confident about any future challenges we would face.

§

"Aww, that was over way too fast. I was just starting to have fun!" Filo moaned as we made camp in a secluded area of a nearby forest. After taking care of the monsters, I decided we should take a few hours to recover.

I chuckled at Filo's enthusiasm as I brought out a few cooking supplies whilst Raphtalia was currently resting against a nearby tree. "Don't worry Filo, we'll be fighting the next Wave very soon. There'll be lots of powerful enemies there for you to fight and have fun with."

"YAY! What are the monsters of the Wave like Master Fergus?" Filo asked giddily.

"Well, the last Wave was mostly undead and insect monsters. But since this Wave will be more deadly than the last one, I imagine there'll be some stronger monsters mixed in there too." I had given this a lot of thought as the Wave loomed closer, remembering King Aultcray's words when we first came to this world about each Wave being stronger than the last.

Filo looked as though she could burst with excitement so I moved to try and calm her down. "Your enthusiasm is a good trait Filo, but don't let it get to your head. We have a good party dynamic going on at the moment, and we can't have that ruined by you going solo as you did against the dragon understood?"

Filo paused, lifting a wing to her mouth as though considering this before nodding enthusiastically as Raphtalia took this moment to add her two cents. "Master Fergus is right Filo. If we work as a team, there isn't a challenge the three of us won't be able to overcome."

I gave a grateful nod in Raphtalia's direction, their optimism really giving me hope for the future. "I'm glad to see we are all on the same page. All the same, just remember to be careful, and that the most important thing is that we all get out alive. Remember that and we'll do just fine." With our discussion out of the way, we all proceeded to dig in the small meal I had prepared.

Just as we were finishing and clearing up, Filo's ears suddenly start twitching. She raised her head and starts looking around, trying to pinpoint where exactly she had felt the disturbance. "What's up Filo?" I asked, noticing her strange actions.

"I heard some noises, Master Fergus. I think they are…YES! They are coming from that direction!" She replied, lifting her wing and indicating towards the nearby forest edge. I quietly motioned for the girls to follow me as we softly made our way to where Filo indicated. I pressed myself behind one of the trees right on the forest edge and peeped out as Raphtalia and Filo did the same.

The disturbance…well wasn't really a disturbance per se. What we saw was a small girl sat out on the grass surrounded by a flock of Filolials. The girl was very petite, around Filo's size when in human form, and had dark blue hair and was clad in a blue and white dress, and was currently laughing away as the Filolials made a big fuss of her.

"_As much as it's lovely to see her having fun, she looks far too young to be all the way out here on her own. If that's the case, we need to get her back to her family before they worry._" I thought to myself as I continued to observe the situation.

"What do we do Master Fergus?" Raphtalia called softly from my left.

I let out a resigned sigh as I responded. "As much as I hate to interrupt her good time, we need to make sure she's okay and ask if her family knows what she's doing." The other two nodded as I motioned for them to follow me. Predictably, the moment we stepped out of the tree line, the Filolials raised their heads and bolted, obviously unnerved by the new arrivals. This drew a sad moan from the girl as she forlornly watched them go.

"I'm sorry for disturbing your fun," I called out to get her attention. "But we saw you out here on your own and had to make sure you were okay." This caused the girl in question to turn her gaze to us, looking between us warily. "Quickly Master Fergus!" Filo called out excitedly. "if we hurry after them we can still catch one. I bet they're very tasty!"

"_Wait a minute…_" "Filo, why would you want to eat your own kind?" I asked her, turning to look at her in confusion. Filo was about to reply when all of a sudden we heard an excited squeal from the small girl. "Oh wow! Your Filolial is so big!" As I turned back to her, I could see her expression had changed from curiosity to excitement as she realised what Filo was. As we all looked on in confusion, the girl asked Filo if she really was a Filolial who could talk, to which Filo responded with an enthusiastic "YUP!"

The girl's eyes went as wide as dinner plates and if anything her excitement only grew. "Oh wow, a real talking Filolial! I've dreamed of meeting one for years but I never thought it would happen!" With this, she reached into her skirt before pulling out a wad of dry meat, offering it to Filo who needed no invitation to chew it down in one bite.

As Raphtalia and I continued to watch, still unsure what on earth was going on, the girl and Filo continued to talk excitedly to each other. I'd heard of people bonding quickly in the past but never thought it would happen within a minute or two. Yet seeing these two getting on so well was also rather heart-warming as it was the first person around her own age that Filo had got on really well with.

"It's amazing how quickly she's taken to Filo," Raphtalia commented, as though echoing my thoughts. As we watched, Filo switched from her Filolial form to her human form, yet rather than startling the girl, this only raised her excitement levels and before I knew it the two girls were rolling around in the grass having a whale of a time which was too sweet to interrupt. Fortunately, I didn't have to as Filo grabbed the hand of her new friend and ran up to where Raphtalia and I were standing.

"Master Fergus! Can I stay and play with Mel some more? She's such a nice person and I'm loving playing with her!" Filo cried out happily.

"As long as Mel here doesn't mind…" I said with a smile, turning my gaze to the girl in question. "Just one question, is Mel your name or is that shorthand for…?"

"Melty." The girl replied formally with a curtsy. "It's nice to meet you. I just love your Filolial friend and would love to play with her some more too!"

"Well Melty, my name is Fergus and this is Raphtalia," I replied, indicating the demi-human to my side who nodded at Melty with a smile. "As it turns out, we were going to stay in the next village over anyway for the night and heal the wounded, so I see no reason why you two can't stay out and play. However, I want you both to come back and find us as the sun goes down, and for you not to stray too far from here alright?"

"YAY! Thank you so much, Master Fergus!" Filo yelled happily as she gave me a quick hug before taking Melty's hand once more and leading her back out into the field to play with her. With a smile, I motioned for Raphtalia to follow me as we proceeded to head to the nearby village on foot.

"So Master Fergus, any thoughts about Filo's new friend?" Raphtalia asked me as we walked.

I shook my head. "Not many. She seems nice enough and completely besotted with Filo. But one thing I did notice was her clothing. She looked far too well dressed to be a resident of one of the villages around here, which leads me to think she must be from a noble family."

Raphtalia didn't reply as we approached the village, but one thing was still nagging me. "_If she really is from a noble family, then what would she be doing all the way out here, and how did she come to be all on her own?_"

§

Once we arrived in the village, we were instantly led to the clinic where we proceeded to spend the rest of the day doling out medicine and curing the sick. Eventually, evening came around and once we were done, Raphtalia and I retired to the room we had rented for the night. I had made sure it had plenty of space as well as four beds in case we had to lodge Filo's new friend.

But that was a concern for when the girls returned, for now, I had to tend to my other party member. As we entered the room and dumped our belongings I turned to Raphtalia. "Time for you to rest up Raphtalia," I told my demi-human companion.

She instantly took umbrage with my request. "I don't need to rest right now Master, I feel perfectly alright."

"I'm sure you do, but your wounds still need treating. It'll be much easier to change your bandages if you are resting, and besides the nurse told me that you should be taking it easy due to your injuries. I'm only concerned for you Raphtalia, nothing more."I said firmly. She grumbled at my words but eventually did as I asked and laid up in bed whilst I got the necessary supplies ready.

Fortunately, the doctor had given me a vial of holy water just before we left the village. It wasn't the high-quality one we required but it would do for now. I carefully unwrapped Raphtalia's bandages and, after coating them in holy water, proceeded to bind the fresh ones around her wounds. As I carefully tied the final knot to hold the bandages in place, she let out a small hiss of pain. "Sorry, did that last bit hurt?" I asked her, concern lacing my voice.

"It did, but I don't mind because it's you doing it. And I trust you." She replied with a small smile.

I gave her a warm smile back as I put all my equipment away. "This won't be for much longer. As soon as we get to the capital we'll get that holy water and be able to cure you completely." At these words, Raphtalia blushed furiously. She looked as though she was about to say something more but at that point, we were interrupted by our bedroom door opening with a loud bang. I swung my head around but relaxed when I saw it was only Filo who had entered.

"Are you okay sister Raphtalia?" Filo asked hurriedly as she dashed to Raphtalia's bedside. Ever since their chat a few days ago, Filo had started affectionately referring to Raphtalia as her sister. Raphtalia and I both thought that was sweet and made no attempt to dissuade her from doing so.

"I'm fine thanks Filo. Did you have fun today?" Raphtalia replied with a warm smile at her blonde friend.

"You bet we did!" Filo piped up happily, turning to look at me as she continued. "Mel is so much fun to be around Master Fergus. We played and talked a lot about many things, we even shared stories about all the wonderful places we had both been to! I then asked Mel why she had been out all on her own and she told me that she got separated from her guards and then we-"

"Hold up a second Filo," I interrupted. "I'm really glad you two had fun and that you are getting on well so far, but did you just say Mel had gotten separated from her guards?"

"Oh yes, Mel told me she lost track of them when she went to play with the filolials." Filo continued. She was about to say more when the aforementioned Melty entered the room herself.

"Forgive me for disturbing your evening and for the bluntness of what I am about to ask," Melty spoke in a formal voice. "If it is not too much trouble, can I travel with your group for a little while?"

Safe to say the three of us weren't expecting a request of that sort! "_For such a youngster she really does have a formal way of speaking. Definitely a noble girl._" Melty was waiting patiently for my response and I didn't want to keep her waiting. "Why would you want to travel with us? Sorry to be so blunt, but you've barely known Filo for a few hours, and you don't know anything about myself or Raphtalia."

"I know, and I wouldn't ask if I didn't feel like I had any other choice," Melty responded with a bow. "I overheard the rumours that the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl was on his way back to the capital, which is where I was also heading before I got separated from my guards. I've also heard the rumours about all the good deeds you have done for the people, and figured I would be safest in your company…if you don't mind that is?"

"One more question before I give you an answer Melty," I responded, my expression unchanged. "Why would a girl of your age be travelling around with guards? Surely one of your age group should be travelling with their family?"

"I've always wanted to travel but my family were always reluctant to leave the capital. When I said I wanted to go, they protested initially but eventually said I could go as long as I took an armed escort with me. I imagine the guards are either frantically looking for me or have returned to the capital to report me as missing. Which is why I need to get back as soon as possible so that my family doesn't worry." She spoke up earnestly.

"_She doesn't have any reason to lie to us, and it's perfectly natural for a girl to want to get back to her family as soon as possible._" My thoughts were interrupted by a pair of small hands grabbing one of my own. I looked down to see that it was Filo who had clasped them. "Please Master Fergus! Mel has become a really good friend to me! If for no other reason, please do it for me!"

"I agree with Filo, Fergus," Raphtalia spoke up from her bed. "It would be cruel for us to turn away a girl who needs our help. Besides, she and Filo like each other and I'm sure they'd like to spend more time with one another." In the face of Raphtalia's appeal and Filo's pleading look, I acceded. "Looks like it's settled then. We'd be delighted to have you join us Melty," I said to the small girl, who beamed at my response as well as from Filo's enthusiastic hug, to which Raphtalia and I couldn't help but let out a giggle.

§

After we had left the village and reacquired our cart from where we had left it in the forest, we started on our trip back to the capital which by my estimation would take us a few days. Only this time, we had a new passenger. Melty absolutely loved riding in the cart with us and spent most of the time admiring the scenery as we rode past. She turned out to be a warm and carefree character who we all quickly bonded with, especially Filo.

We made good progress on our trip, even allowing ourselves to take quick breaks several times during the day since Raphtalia was still having troubles with motion sickness on top of her existing injuries. We usually took these breaks by a body of water for Filo and Melty to splash around in. Sometimes Raphtalia would join them, but most of the time she was laid up in the cart to recuperate from her injuries and travel sickness. As for myself, I spent most of the time working on my fishing, figuring it would make a nice change to have fish in our meals. I may not have been a good cook back in my world but since we were out on the road most of the time, I had made sure to take some time to learn some basic meals and the essentials of how to cook things properly. After all, 3 nutritious meals each day was vital so that we could be at our best at all times. Our evening breaks usually consisted of a hearty meal where more often than not I had to stop Filo from getting greedy and eating from everyone else's portions, which always drew a pout from her which caused Melty to fall about laughing.

One such night found me tending the fire and keeping watch whilst the others slept. Truth be told I still wasn't sleeping very well so more often than not I told the girls to rest up whilst I would keep watch. More than once Raphtalia had tried to protest but I reminded her she needed her rest. Filo and Melty made no such complaints, usually wrapping up in each other and dozing off soon after we had eaten. Tonight however it seemed I wasn't going to be alone. I heard stirring from nearby and, looking around, saw Raphtalia step down from the cart where she tended to sleep these days, her blanket still wrapped around her as she took a seat next to me.

"Can't sleep?" I asked her. She shook her head. "Don't know why but I'm not really tired tonight. If you want I can take over the watch whilst you catch up on sleep?" She offered.

"Thank you for your kind offer but I'm fine. If you want you're welcome to keep me company."

"Are you sure you are okay Master? Despite us being out of danger for the present, you still aren't sleeping much." She piped up with concern.

I tended the fire with a sigh, knowing I was going to have to give her the same answer I had previously because, to be honest, nothing had changed since then. "I know we're out of the woods for the moment, but for whatever reason, my mind just keeps going a hundred miles a minute and stops me from sleeping. Honestly? I'm not sure that will change until this whole mess is behind us, and who knows when that will be." I looked over at her with what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "But thank you for your concern regardless."

"You mean the world to me, Master Fergus, of course I'm going to be worried about you when you aren't feeling your best," she replied with a hint of worry on her face, "But at the same time, I trust you completely. If you say you are okay, I'll believe you. But promise me that you'll talk to me if that changes."

In the face of her earnestness and the worry marring her face, I couldn't say no. So I nodded, which seemed to mollify her for the time being as we both looked back towards the fire, each now busy with our own thoughts. As I glanced in Filo and Melty's direction, where Filo was currently slumbering away in her Filolial form, I suddenly became aware that Melty was nowhere in sight.

"Hang on a second, where's Melty?" I called aloud which got Raphtalia's attention. Looking towards Filo, she saw what I saw that Melty was currently missing, and frantically started looking about the campsite for her. I was doing the same when suddenly I noticed a bundle on the ground besides Filo. I got up and instantly went over to investigate, and upon closer inspection of the bundle realised that they were Melty's clothes!

I looked between the clothes and Filo, my mind coming to a horrible conclusion. I looked up at Raphtalia as she came over to join me, and as her eyes went between the clothes and Filo, it was apparent she had reached the same conclusion. "_But they were getting along so well! Surely Filo wouldn't do that, not even by accident!_" I thought to myself frantically as Raphtalia moved to prod Filo awake.

It didn't take long for the Filolial to wake up as she wearily opened an eye in our direction. "Sister...Master…is something the matter?" She asked woozily, still half asleep.

"Filo, what have you done with Melty?" I asked warily, trying to keep my voice neutral so as not to betray my thoughts.

"Mel? Oh, she's here, she's sleeping in my feathers and has been doing so all night."

At Filo's words, I suddenly heard a rustle from within her feathers. As if summoned by her name, Melty's head popped out from the bundle of white. "What's going on? Is everything okay?" She asked wearily, voice full of sleep.

"Everything is fine Melty. We were just a bit concerned when we couldn't find you," I reassured her. "By the way, what are you doing sleeping in Filo's feathers without your clothes on?"

"Her feathers are just so warm and soft. I just couldn't resist falling asleep against them and before I knew it I-" As she spoke, Melty suddenly drifted to sleep once more shortly followed by Filo. Raphtalia gave me a confused look before reaching out to touch the feathers for herself. I imagined she wanted to find out how soft they were personally but to my amazement, and amusement, the instant her hand touched the feathers she drifted off to sleep herself, resting against Filo's belly.

"_Filo's feathers are either gloriously soft or they must have some really strong sleep-inducing properties._" I theorised. Only the knowledge that someone had to keep watch tonight prevented me from confirming that, so I went back to where I was previously sitting to keep watch for the rest of the night.

§

We arrived earlier than I estimated back at the capital, which I was glad for since this would give us more time to prepare for the next Wave. As we approached, I handed the reins to Raphtalia and, pulling my hood up, concealed myself in the back of the cart to avoid any unwanted attention. Thankfully we weren't stopped and soon after we went through the gates, I told Raphtalia to pull the cart up in one of the side streets not far from Erhard's shop.

"Well Melty, this is where we part ways," I said as we all gathered outside the cart. "It's been great to travel with you but I imagine you'll want to get back to your family. Can you find your way home?"

"I know my way back from here, thank you so much for letting me travel with you Fergus. I had a great time getting to know you," she replied with another bow.

"Master, can I stay with Mel until we get to her house?" Filo pleaded, obviously desperate not to be parted from her new friend so soon.

"As long as Melty doesn't mind, I don't see why not," I replied with a smile. "Once Raphtalia and I have taken care of our business at the church, we'll all meet back here alright?" This got an instant agreement from Filo whilst Melty seemed ecstatic that Filo would be sticking with her for now. Grabbing Filo's hand, Melty runs off down the street, waving at us as she does so. "Goodbye, Fergus! Goodbye Raphtalia! I hope we see each other again!" Raphtalia and I smiled as we waved them off.

"I'm going to miss her, she was fun to have around," Raphtalia commented. I nodded in agreement. "Agreed. Yet for some reason, I don't think this will be the last time we'll see her." With those words, Raphtalia and I head off towards the church. Thankfully I was able to remember the way, even though we hadn't visited since the Wave hit.

As we approached the church building, I took a closer look at the structure. Again, it reminded me of cathedrals that had existed in previous centuries, large and covered in various idols. Due to its impressive size and the detail that had gone into the various carvings dotted around the structure, I concluded to myself that religion must be a key part of Melromarc's culture. I then looked towards the spires and saw highly detailed carvings of the Sword, Spear and Bow currently wielded by my fellow Heroes. What was alarming though was that the Shield was missing.

"_That can't be a good omen,_" I thought to myself but put it to the back of my mind for now. Right now my main priority was acquiring some Holy Water for Raphtalia. Once we entered, we made our way down the main aisle of the church between the pews, hoping to find someone who could help us. As we approached the main altar, I noticed a group of nuns off to the side looking in my direction and whispering to themselves. I cleared my throat was about to ask them about the Holy Water when all of a sudden their gaze went to something appearing from behind me. All of a sudden they halted their murmuring and started bowing hastily.

I turned around, curious as to what had caused this sort of reaction, and found myself staring at the robed figure who I had noticed from the duel in the palace appearing from the shadows, clad in his priestly garments and accompanied by two pages. "Greetings young ones. As High Priest, I bid you welcome to my church. Feel free to lay down your burdens and be at peace in this place." He spoke up in a sage voice.

Recognising this to be someone of great importance and not wanting to be disrespectful to such a revered figure, I bowed reverently whilst Raphtalia gave a polite curtsy. "We are honoured to make your acquaintance Your Holiness. Our names are…" I started before I was interrupted by one of the pages.

"You are to call him Your Eminence." The page said sharply, glaring at me.

"My apologies, Your Eminence." I corrected myself. "As I was saying, we are…"

"I know who you are Shield-Hero. The exploits of yourself and your companion during your duel had the people of this city talking for days," The High Priest spoke up warmly. "Permit me to praise your conduct during your duel with the Spear-Hero. You accepted the duel despite being at a disadvantage yet fought with the conviction that you could be victorious. Your determination, bravery and courage were truly inspiring, and your actions in restarting the duel as well as the way you conducted yourself afterwards…well let's just say no ordinary man could have done such."

"_His words are full of praise, yet it sounds like he's just saying these things for the sake of appearances,_" I noted to myself, seeing how he had seemed overly happy about it despite the current perception of me in the capital. "_If I was of a more suspicious mind, I'd say he was being incredibly sarcastic_." However, I hid this well by accepting his praise with another reverent bow. "I am truly unworthy of your praise Your Eminence, but I am glad my actions were pleasing to you and shall strive to carry that on in the future."

The High Priest chuckled at my words, whether from amusement or genuine happiness at my response I couldn't tell. "What can we do for you Shield-Hero?"

Seeing as how he was getting straight to the point, I could only do the same in kind. "A few days ago we were battling a plague in a village far to the east of here, and during our encounter with the source of the plague, my companion here was afflicted by a powerful curse. I was informed by the village's doctor that only the most potent of Holy Waters can cure such a plague and that this could be found in a church in a major city, hence why we made our way back here. Is such Holy Water available here and, if so, would be able to purchase it?"

"Of course, we have plenty here," the High Priest responded. "You are more than welcome to have one, provided you make an offering for use of such a powerful Holy object."

I saw no issue with that. "Of course. What is the customary offering for such an object?" I enquired. I got an instant response from one of the pages. "The usual offering is one gold coin."

I didn't expect it to be that much, however, it wasn't too much of an expense thanks to all the money I had raised beforehand from my merchant business. I instantly agreed which drew a protest from Raphtalia. "Master Fergus, you can't be wasting that much on me!" I turned to face her as she said this, smiling at her warmly as I responded. "Raphtalia, you are more than worth such an expense. Your health and well-being is my highest priority and I would gladly pay any expense to cure you." This not only halted her protest but caused her to stammer and blush furiously as I turned back to the expectant High Priest. I fished in my pack for my coin pouch and, drawing out a gold coin, handed it to one of the pages.

"Your offering is accepted graciously Shield-Hero." The High Priest spoke reverently before proceeding to summon one of the nuns over and explained what he needed from her. The nun nodded as she headed off and, after a short while, came back with a small vial borne on a small cushion which she proceeded to offer to me. I nodded gratefully as I carefully handled it and proceeded to inspect it. To my shock, the tool-tip for the item read 'Cheap Holy Water (crude)'. Surely this wasn't what we after! After all, the doctor said only the most powerful Holy Water could cure Raphtalia.

"Your Eminence, my apologies for speaking out of turn, but I believe a mistake has been made here," I spoke up politely. "This vial is a low-quality item, not the high-quality vial I requested."

Surprisingly the High Priest did not dispute my concern. Instead, he turned to face the nun and commanded her to explain why she had brought the wrong item. The nun looked stunned at his words as she stammered for a reply, however she was cut off by another stern reprimand by the High Priest: "Remember that it is our duty to serve all living beings, regardless of one's personal feelings. If that is why you acted the way you did, you are to spend the rest of the day in repentance for your actions. Now correct this at once."

"I'm so sorry Your Eminence," the nun said weakly prostrating herself and, taking the vial back from me, proceeded to leave once again to (hopefully) procure the right item as the High Priest turned back to me. "I apologise for my disciple's error. I will make sure she repents for this."

"_Seems as though the hate in this country has spread to the church as well. That was no mistake, that was a deliberate attempt to undermine me._" Again I kept my thoughts to myself as I gave a polite response: "No apologies necessary Your Eminence. Even the most devout make mistakes." The High Priest gave an amused smile to my words, giving no visible reaction if he had caught the hidden threat in them. The nun returned swiftly, this time bearing a vial that came with a tool-tip that read 'Curse-Dispelling Holy Water (pure)'. That was more like it! I carefully took the vial once more as Raphtalia and I gave a final bow to the High Priest, speaking politely once more: "We thank you gratefully for all you have done for us Your Eminence, and it has been a great pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The High Priest nodded once, which I took as his signal that we could depart. As we were leaving, the High Priest had some final words of wisdom for us: "God will faithfully show us the way to go, be grateful for his guidance. Everything we have is given by God's grace, never forget that." I turned my head back and nodded respectfully at his words before we proceeded to leave. "_Wonder why he decided to say that…_"

§

"You know, I have a healthy respect for religion, but damn that guy seemed like he could preach for hours," I spoke up as Raphtalia and I exited the church. "I'm glad we didn't stay too long, or I'm sure we would have got a sermon!"

Raphtalia chuckled at my words before proceeding to ask "What do we do now Master Fergus?"

"Well we got what we came for so let's head back and meet up with Filo-" I started to respond before I was interrupted by a shout.

"Shield-Hero!" Looking in the direction the shout came from, I saw a guard from the palace running in our direction. "I need to speak with you!"

"Shit! Someone must have noticed our arrival and informed the palace!"I cursed aloud.

"What should we do Master Fergus?" Raphtalia asked.

"The only thing we can do. RUN!" With this, Raphtalia and I took off in the opposite direction the guard came from, eventually making our way towards the busier parts of the city in the hopes of losing our pursuer. Yet the guard was very persistent, able to keep sight of us no matter where we went. Eventually, Raphtalia and I were able to lose him briefly in a winding labyrinth of side streets.

"This guy sure is persistent," I panted, struggling to catch my breath before turning to Raphtalia who was in a similar state. "But I think he's just after me. If we split up, he should chase me and leave you alone. That should allow you to get to safety."

"I won't leave you, Master Fergus!" Raphtalia protested but I shook my head. "You know I'm right. I'm sorry, but it won't be for long. Once you are clear, get back to the carriage, find Filo and then come and find me. I have a feeling this won't end well." She looked as though she wanted to protest further but, after thinking it through, knew it was the best plan.

"Okay then. BREAK!" With this, I dashed off to our left whilst Raphtalia sprinted in the opposite direction. As I hoped, the guard heard us and came sprinting after me, giving Raphtalia the perfect opportunity to escape. Relieved that my plan had worked, I worked up into a fast sprint, dodging and winding my way through various side streets in hopes that it would throw my pursuer off my tail.

It took a long while but I eventually I could no longer hear the footsteps of the guard, a sign that I had been able to lose him successfully. Relieved beyond belief that I had managed to escape safely, I leaned against a nearby wall to catch my breath. Thankfully the area I was in was packed with civilians, so my presence went mostly unnoticed.

"FERGUS!"

Remember when I said mostly unnoticed? Turns out my relief was going to be short-lived. There was only one person's voice which could annoy me so much the instant I heard it.

And sure enough, as I looked over, the mass of people quickly parted as at the other end of the street was none other than Motoyasu. And as usual when we met these days, he did not seem to be happy. Unfortunately for him, what I was about to say to him would probably only worsen his mood but I didn't care. What I had to say needed to be said.

"Motoyasu…" I growled as we approached one another. Even though this was going to be a friendly chat, it was hard for me to keep the annoyance out of my voice. "For once I'm glad to see you. We need to have words. Now."

"You're damned right we need to have words!" Motoyasu spat angrily, catching me off guard for a second. "I thought you couldn't go any lower after making Raphtalia your slave, but I was wrong. Release your slave, now!"

"_Surely this buffoon hasn't forgotten that I freed Raphtalia already?_" I thought irritably but decided to play along. "You were there Motoyasu. Raphtalia is free, or have you conveniently forgotten that already?" I replied, conveniently leaving out that Raphtalia had voluntarily had her slave brand re-applied.

"I'm not talking about her, though for the life of me I will never understand why she chose to stay with you!" Motoyasu responded. "No, I am talking about the small blonde girl with angel wings who's been seen travelling with you. And don't you dare deny it!"

"Ah, you're talking about Filo. Why would I deny knowledge of one of my party members?"

"Yes! Filo, that's the one! So pretty, so angelic! You have no idea how much I adore those sorts of girls," he started rambling, eyes lighting up at the reveal of Filo's name. "When I first saw her, it was like an angel had fallen from the heavens! I was in love with her from that moment! I ABSOLUTELY ADORE SMALL BLONDE HAIR GIRLS!"

"_What. The Actual. Fuck," _were the only words that passed through my brain at that time. I know I had initially thought of Motoyasu as someone who thought he was a ladies man when I first met him but had never expected in my wildest dreams for it to be this…well the best way to put it was completely twisted. Something was seriously wrong with this guy, but that could wait. "Okay…that's more than I ever wanted to know about you Motoyasu…you have serious issues." I said, scratching my head awkwardly as I spoke. My words, however, didn't seem to reach the Spear Hero as he seemed lost in his fantasies concerning Filo.

Okay, this had to stop. Now only was this fucked beyond belief, but this was also the perfect opportunity for me to jump in and tell Motoyasu what he needed to hear. So none too gently I reached over and punched him in the shoulder. "Earth to Motoyasu. Earth calling Motoyasu! Oh for goodness sake SNAP OUT OF IT YOU IDIOT! I'm talking to you!"

Thankfully my words seemed to shake Motoyasu out of his thoughts. Now that I had his attention I started talking: "Now when I first came here, I said I needed to speak with you. Tell me, do you remember a village you visited that was suffering a famine?"

"Of course I do," Motoyasu replied smugly. "I went and found a Miracle Seed that was able to end the famine. The villagers couldn't stop thanking me!"

I tempered my simmering anger at his smug attitude, pressing onward. "And once you had planted the seed, then what did you do?"

"What do you think? I collected the reward they offered me and left."

"Did it not cross your mind to maybe stay behind for a little, just to check that nothing went wrong?" I pressed, my annoyance continuing to rise.

"It was a Miracle Seed, nothing was going to go wrong!" He exclaimed confidently. "Is there a point to this line of questioning or are you just buying time for yourself Fergus?"

"Because if you had stayed behind for even a few hours, you would have witnessed the seed you planted sprout into a giant mutated plant, which not only spawned lesser versions of itself but whose roots spread alarmingly quick!" I shouted, pleased to see a shocked expression on his face. "The situation got so bad that the villagers had to evacuate their dwellings and send out a call for supplies of herbicide, which is how I got involved. I was asked to take a large quantity of herbicide to that village and saw the devastation first hand. What's worse, some of the villagers had become infected and were really sick! Thankfully I was able to cure the afflicted, destroy the source of the infection and planted some new seeds that will ensure the village doesn't starve for a very long time!" As I finished, I prepared to take a deep breath to calm myself, but before I could Motoyasu opened his stupid mouth once more and what he said next tipped me over the edge.

"So you saved the village, bravo!" Motoyasu retorted scathingly. "One good deed doesn't erase all the bad things you've done. Is there an actual point to this or did you just want to brag?"

With this I lost whatever patience I had and grabbed Motoyasu none too gently by the neck, pushing him roughly against a nearby wall and shouting right in his face. "Remember our first night here?! About how we discussed whether this was a game or not? Back then we didn't know so I had no problem with you treating it like a game. What I just told you changes EVERYTHING! There are very real consequences to everything we do, and every choice or decision we make will affect people's lives and homes, and it's about time the three of you realise this before your stupidity starts getting people killed!"

I let Motoyasu go and backed up a little before continuing. "Between yourself and Ren, your stupidity and ignorance have already put people in danger. Fortunately for you, you got off lightly since no-one actually died unlike Ren's act of stupidity, which resulted in the deaths of innocent people and could have been a lot worse if, again, I hadn't stepped in to clean up his mistake! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I hear that Itsuki's fucked up as well!"

Motoyasu snarled angrily, as though he wanted to deny everything I had just said but couldn't. So instead, he did the most stupid thing he could have done at that moment. "Stop dancing around the real issue! You're keeping a young innocent girl as a slave and working her like a workhorse! I demand that you free her at once!" He shouted, levelling his spear in my direction.

I let out a deep breath. I had tried, I had really tried to give Motoyasu a chance and talk some sense into him. Yet the idiot refused to listen to reason.

So be it.

I raised my Shield and switched it to its Shield-Axe form. "I tried to be civil Motoyasu. Now it looks as though I'm going to have to beat some sense into you instead. Whatever happens to you in these next few moments, you've brought upon yourself."

It was too easy to press Motoyasu's buttons as he let out a wild yell and charged at me. "AIR STRIKE JAVELIN!" he cried. Just like my skill of the same name, a red ethereal copy of his spear launched in my direction which I was able to block easily, the resulting attack being converted into energy to fuel my Shield's true form. This was instantly followed by his Chaos Spear attack, which of course was a lot harder to block. Despite my best efforts, some of the Chaos Spears impacted upon the nearby walls and buildings, causing the inhabitants to run, screaming in terror.

"MOTOYASU YOU BASTARD! ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE JUST TO GET TO ME?" I yelled, trying to get him to calm down. This didn't work though as Motoyasu kept attacking wildly with Chaos Spears, Air Strike Javelins, Lightning Spears and Turbulent Thrusts. If this was a normal duel I would have focused on avoiding as many of them as I could, but since we were in a populated area I was purposefully having to block the attacks so that they didn't cause any damage or harm anyone. I was able to block most of them but one or two got through, and it was only by sheer luck that nobody had gotten hurt.

But I knew that luck wouldn't last forever. I had to put a stop to Motoyasu's rampage quickly or someone would end up getting hurt.

*PING!* A notification popped into my field of view after I had blocked the latest Turbulent Thrust, saying that the energy build-up for my Shield was at one hundred percent and I could now unlock the Shield's true form. More words appeared in front of me in what I quickly realised was an incantation to unlock the weapon's true form. Time to end this!

"Final warning Motoyasu!" I shouted as I created some distance, raising my Shield up. "Back off, or I'm going to bring down a world of hurt upon you!"

"I will never stop!" Motoyasu yelled, levelling his spear once more in my direction. "Not until my angel is free from your clutches!"

"Very well then." I was about to start the incantation when all of a sudden a figure dashed between us, holding his arms out at each of us. It was the guard who had been chasing me earlier! "Heroes, please stop this before people get hurt!" He cried out.

"By my right as a member of the Royal family of Melromarc, I, Princess Malty Melromarc, have in my hands a royal decree authorising a duel between Sir Motoyasu and the Shield-Hero, which will take place right here, right now!" Of course the bitch herself had to show up, currently flanked by an escort of palace guards and her trademark superior smirk on her face as she held out a decree bearing the royal seal.

Little did she know however, that she had just made my day with her little announcement.

As the surrounding people took in Malty's words and started to clear the street, I suddenly burst into laughter, unable to contain my amusement and excitement at what had just happened, which only drew confused looks from the civilians, the guards, Malty and Motoyasu alike. I quickly got my laughter under control, but my smirk remained.

"Oh Malty. Once again, your arrogance will be your undoing. I tried warning you to cease your stupidity, and yet you persist. Right here, in front of all these people, you have just given me royal sanction to do whatever the hell I want to your boyfriend here, and the best part of it is, it will all be your fault!" With this, I raised my right fist up in front of my face, Shield facing outward towards Motoyasu as I closed my eyes, the words that had popped up earlier rolling off my tongue in a reverent tone:

"_As the sun smites the moon at dawn,  
Come forth from this Shield and show thy true form!  
Aid me in this bitter fight,  
And show this world thine unyielding might!  
AS I CALL UPON THY TRUE NAME  
HEARTSEEKER, THE AVATAR OF PAIN!"_

As I finished, the Shield glowed crimson and all of a sudden lifted off of my right hand, the strap keeping it there fading away. The Shield hung there for a moment before a long shaft started forming, connecting the blade of the axe to where my hands currently were. As it finished changing, I now held in my hands a mighty two-handed battle-axe, the serrated edges now adorning the blade and a name imprinted on my mind: Heartseeker. As everyone gasped at the sight and Motoyasu looked on completely dumbfounded, I tested out its weight and gave it an experimental swing. The weight was perfect, and somehow, and I couldn't explain why at that moment, but it felt like I had been able to wield an axe all my life, even though this was my first time using such a weapon. As well as this confidence, I also felt…blood-lust? A desire for death and destruction? I couldn't tell, but right now I didn't care. The axe wanted blood, and I would feed it.

With a sadistic grin, I pointed my new weapon in Motoyasu's direction. "Behold, the legendary weapon, Heartseeker! This is the true power of the Legendary Weapons! Heartseeker demands blood. AND I SHALL FEED IT!" With this savage cry, I charged towards Motoyasu, swinging my new weapon as Motoyasu brought his Spear up to block. The weapons clashed and held for a short period, but my battle lust was up and gave me the strength to start pushing his Spear back. Motoyasu noticed this and, breaking the weapon clash, backed up slightly to take a breather.

But I wasn't feeling charitable. I wanted Motoyasu's blood and charged in once more, a move Motoyasu was not expecting. I swung my axe upon him once more and this time, it struck Motoyasu's armour. The chest-plate was dented but did not break, and the impact from the blow caused Motoyasu to stumble backwards. I pressed the advantage and jabbed my axe directly at the dented area of the chest-plate, impacting it with great force once more and this time sending Motoyasu sprawling on the ground.

I quickly planted my boot on Motoyasu's chest and levelled my axe at Motoyasu's throat, in a manner eerily reminiscent of how our last duel ended, only now our positions were reversed, and this time Motoyasu was absolutely shitting himself in terror. "Stop this, Fergus! Please don't kill me, I beg you!" He cried out pitifully.

"Kill you?" I drawled, letting out a dark chuckle. "Oh no Motoyasu, I won't kill you. After all, you are still needed to fight the Waves. However, I don't mind roughing you up a little. I will make you suffer for trying to take my friends from me!" Motoyasu whimpered pitifully at these words, which only caused my grin to widen. I was just about to drive my axe a little deeper into Motoyasu's throat when a loud voice rang out above the din: "Heroes! Cease your duel immediately!"

I turned my head, ready to snarl at the interruption but to my astonishment, the source of the shout turned out to be Melty, who was approaching with an entourage of guards. "Stay out of this Melty!" I told her. "This is between me and Motoyasu!"

Melty only shook her head at my words. "I cannot do that Fergus. I will not stand by and watch the Heroes fight each other when they should be fighting alongside one another." I was just about to retort but was interrupted by Malty, who snarled at the new arrival. "YOU! What are you doing here?"

Wait a second, Melty and Malty knew each other? What on earth was going on here? Melty turned her attention to the redhead, fixing her with an impassive stare. "It's been a long time, hasn't it…Sister?"

"SISTER?!" Motoyasu and I both exclaimed, looking between each of the girls several times. With this new revelation, I could suddenly see the resemblance. Melty did look like a younger version of Malty, except Melty's face was a lot kinder than Malty's and of course, she had blue hair instead of her sister's red. "Is this true, are you two really sisters?" Motoyasu asked, still unable to believe what he was hearing.

Melty looked towards us and gave a formal bow towards Motoyasu. "Yes Spear-Hero, it is true. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Crown Princess Melty Melromarc, second daughter of King Aultcray and younger sister to Princess Malty Melromarc." These words pierced the haze of my blood-lust and allowed me to regain control of my thoughts. I instantly removed my weapon from Motoyasu's throat and removed my foot from his chest, allowing him to get to his feet as I changed my Shield back to its original state, our argument from before completely forgotten as we watched dumbfounded as the sisters sniped back and forth at each other.

"Tell me Sister, was putting innocent people's lives at risk for the sake of a duel your idea?" Melty asked.

"I was only doing my job as Sir Motoyasu's aide, you had no right to interfere! How could you even think of defying your elder sister?!" Malty snarled back

"You might be the elder sister, but I am the Crown Princess and unlike you, I take my duties seriously," Melty replied calmly, remaining cool in the face of her sister's anger. "Tell me dear sister, what do you think will happen if our Mother found out about this?"

This seemed to stop Malty in her tracks, her only response was a grimace. "_Judging by Malty's reaction, the Queen sounds like a formidable woman who won't take any shit from anyone. Meeting her should be interesting…_"

"MASTER FERGUS!" "MASTER!" My train of thought was interrupted by two very familiar voices. I turned in the direction they were coming from and beamed as I saw Raphtalia and Filo running toward me. Raphtalia ran straight up to me and took my hands in hers, looking me over with a quick glance. "Are you okay Master Fergus? We heard a disturbance and figured you might be in trouble, so we came as quickly as we could to help."

"I'm fine Raphtalia, thank you for your concern. Motoyasu and I were just having a friendly chat before…" I trailed off as Motoyasu ran up to us, kneeling down and taking a startled Filo's hands in his own.

"My beautiful Filo! Allow me to introduce myself, I am Sir Motoyasu the Spear-Hero, and I have come to save you from the Shield-Hero's cruelty. No longer shall he treat you like a beast of burden!"

Raphtalia looked at me with a confused expression. I just shrugged in response as Filo recovered quickly from her shock, grinning happily in response. "But I enjoy pulling the cart for Master Fergus! It was actually me who wanted to pull the cart to begin with, and Master Fergus let me!"

Motoyasu narrowed his eyes as his head whipped around to look up at me. "You absolute bastard Fergus, forcing a poor innocent girl to pull such a heavy cart, working her like a beast of burden like you do that fat bird of yours!"

Oh he did NOT just say that! "Raphtalia…" I murmured to my companion as Filo started trembling with anger, head bowed "let's back away…like now." Raphtalia nodded hurriedly as we quickly backed up a few steps.

"Why?" Filo murmured quietly. "Why did you just call me fat again like you did last time we met?"

"No no Filo, you misunderstand," Motoyasu said hurriedly, trying to placate her. "I wasn't calling you fat, I was calling that large bird of Fergus' fat. You are a beautiful little angel."

"I hate you…so much…SPEAR GUY!" With this, Filo transformed back into her Filolial form, glaring down at Motoyasu with eyes blazing in pure hatred as for the second time that day Motoyasu looked ready to shit himself.

"Hang on a minute…all this time…you were that fat-AGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Motoyasu never got to finish his sentence as Filo, triggered by hearing the word fat once again, sent her foot flying once more into Motoyasu's balls. And just like last time, Motoyasu was sent flying, this time much harder, faster and further away before landing with a loud thud several streets over.

"SIR MOTOYASU!" Malty cried out in terror as she ran off to check on her beloved hero, guards in tow, as Raphtalia and myself fell about laughing at what had transpired, quickly joined by Filo once she had turned back into her human form.

Our amusement didn't last long however as Melty approached us. After sharing another enthusiastic greeting with Filo, Melty turned her gaze to me, her expression all business this time. "Shield-Hero Fergus Ward, can we please speak in private?"

**Another chapter over and done with! I enjoyed writing it more than I thought I would, and before I knew it the words were just flowing. I couldn't believe it when the word count went over 11,000 so that's why I decided to end it where I did, even though the corresponding anime episode had one more scene. That will be the start of the next chapter. Some of the changes from the original:**

**1\. Fergus' interaction with the High Priest - Okay this was all from my own personal experience. I used to be Catholic, not saying that Fergus is religious in any way, and as such wrote this as if I was talking to a priest. Also, remember Fergus is politer than Naofumi was at this point in the story, and as such had no problem treating the High Priest with respect. After all, he hasn't done anything to him at the moment.**

**2\. Fergus' conversation with Motoyasu - I really wanted to get this in there now rather than later on in the story. Make no mistake, this won't get through Motoyasu's skull just yet, but it will be there at the back of his mind**

**3\. Fergus losing his temper with Motoyasu - Was this a bit out-of-character for Fergus? Just a tad, but Motoyasu was really pushing his patience so it was no wonder he snapped as he did**

**4\. The Axe-Shield - Yeah this is the big reveal of the Shield we found a few chapters ago, and let me explain how this will work. I'm not going to abuse it because that would just be too OP, and as such I've put into its function that after it's true form is unlocked, it will only last for a short amount of time (I'm thinking between 90-120 seconds) and then won't be able to be summoned for the rest of the day. As hinted at in this chapter, one of the effects of the weapon is that it causes heightened feelings of blood-lust which will last as long as the axe is out but is difficult to shake off. Now that he is aware of it, Fergus will be able to deal with it slightly better yet it will still affect him to some degree each time.**

**(EDIT: Cannot believe I forgot this detail, I blame lack of sleep. But just in case you are wondering/asking yourself how Fergus was able to match up to Motoyasu...I came up with my own little solution that is unique to this unique/legendary Shield...basically, once it starts absorbing the attacks, it records the strength stat of the person who made the attack. Once the charging is complete, the Shield takes the average strength value of all the attacks and then adds that TEMPORARILY to Fergus' Strength stat for the duration the axe is out. For example, this time around it was just Motoyasu's attacks so it was Motoyasu's Strength stat added to Fergus' own, which would put Fergus' Strength temporarily just over Motoyasu's for the duration the axe was out. If it's a mix of say, Motoyasu's attacks and the attacks from random critters, it would be lower due to the average being skewed by the values. So basically, Fergus has to bust it out at the right time against an opponent/opponents who have a high Strength stat...make sense? I hope so!)**

**As to whether each of the Heroes will find a unique weapon? I'm still deciding. I have an idea for Ren, but that's all it is right now, just an idea.**

**I really hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Once again thank you for all the favourites, follows and reviews. Once again, there will be NO chapter next week (Friday 24****th****), so expect the next chapter to drop on Friday May 31****st**

**This is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now and I will see you in the next chapter! **


	15. Ch 13 - Only So Much One Can Take

**Well, there's only one way to describe my current state…Catharsis. For sub viewers, you know what I mean. For dub viewers, you are in for a real treat. I will say no more.**

**So here we are, Chapter 13. A chapter I enjoyed writing a lot more than I thought I would, some parts of it in particular. Now that everything is sorted in my personal/working life, we should be back to our regular one chapter per week schedule.**

**Thank you once again for all the love. For all of your reviews, follows and favourites. Every single one is greatly appreciated. With that out of the way, onto Chapter 13, the fallout from the previous Chapter and all of the events that happen right up to the next wave. As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 13 - There's Only So Much One Can Take

Seeing as we were not too far away from Erhard's store, I suggested to Melty that we have our discussion there. After all, I trusted Erhard not to say anything crucial to anyone. However, Erhard wasn't too pleased that we were effectively using his store as a meeting room.

"I'm sorry about this Erhard," I apologised as we headed into the back of his store. "But we needed somewhere private and I couldn't think of anywhere else."

"You're lucky I like you, Fergus," Erhard grumbled. "Just make it quick."

"Thank you, sir. I will endeavour to take as little of your time as possible so that your business isn't affected," Melty respond with a polite bow before turning to the three of us. "I apologise for not telling you of my true identity sooner, I just didn't want to cause you any trouble. But allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Crown Princess Melty Melromarc, the second child of King Aultcray and as of now the first in line to the throne."

"I thought the eldest child was always the heir to the throne. Why is it you and not your sister?" Raphtalia asked.

"When it comes to the two of us, Malty has always been the problem child due to….let's call it personality differences," Melty responded.

I could only snort in response: "That's hardly a surprise, your sister has been nothing but a major thorn in our lives. But why did you come to me Melty? There are three other Heroes who have a much better reputation than myself. Surely it wouldn't do you any good to be seen with the hated Shield-Hero?"

"Honestly Fergus, I had no idea that you were the Shield-Hero until the events of today. But now I know that is the case, I must ask you a favour." With this, Melty bowed her head before continuing. "Sir Fergus, the Shield-Hero, I must ask for your assistance in a critical matter regarding the future of my kingdom. Please, I need you, my father, my sister and the other Heroes to make amends with one another so that we may survive against the future Waves."

Raphtalia gasped at this, seeing as she was aware of everything of that had gone on, before turning to look at me warily. Filo, who didn't know as much but had been present during my quarrels with Motoyasu and Malty, also turned to look at me. However, her look was more expectant, as though she expected me to say yes.

Sadly there was only one answer I could give. It wasn't the one I wanted to give, but considering the present circumstances, I had no other choice.

I knelt down so that I was at Melty's eye level and looked her square in the face as I gave my answer. "I'm sorry Princess Melty, but I am unable to carry out your request."

"Why not?" She responded indignantly, her facial expression betraying her shock at my refusal.

"Even if I wanted to try and make amends with everyone, which right now I don't, there is too much animosity between both sides that won't be fixed with a simple apology. Besides, I doubt I'll even get one from any of the other parties concerned."

"Let me try and set the groundwork!" Melty appealed. "I'll go and talk to my father. I know him to be a reasonable man who can be persuaded to see the truth of things as well as to put aside his animosity for the good of the kingdom!"

"I won't stop you if that's what you truly want to do," I replied gently. "But given my experiences with the man, as far as I am concerned it's a hopeless cause. I have nothing against you personally Melty, but the other members of your family are the ones responsible for creating the mess you are trying to fix. Your father hates everything about me, and your sister has tried everything in her power to undermine me and make my life a living hell."

I could see the tears about to form, and I regretted that I had to be so harsh towards her family, but it was important she knew the truth. "And besides," I finished. "Even if you managed to convince your family to set aside their personal crusade against me, convincing the other Heroes will be a whole different challenge. As you saw for yourself, the Spear-Hero absolutely despises me, and whilst the other two are not out to actively ruin my life, they don't trust me."

Melty balled up fists and looked as though she was going to try and argue her case further, but at that moment one of the guards from her entourage popped his head through the door of the shop. "Princess Melty, you have been summoned to the royal palace on the orders of His Majesty," he announced.

Melty's eyes darted over to the guard before looking back at me as I put a hand on her shoulder and spoke to her gently one more time: "You should go Melty, I don't want you to get in trouble with your father. By all means, try and talk to him, and I genuinely wish you luck in that endeavour. But if you want to carry on this conversation, come and find me after the Wave okay?"

Melty nods at this and after exchanging one more goodbye hug with Filo leaves without another word. Filo watched her go forlornly before she levelled a glare in my direction, tears threatening to fall from her eyes: "Why did you have to be so mean to Melty Master? She's been nothing but nice to us!"

"I have to agree with your small friend here Fergus," Erhard spoke up. "You could have at least accepted her request and done your bit, no mattered if you succeeded or not."

I went over to Filo and knelt in front of her, placing my hands on her shoulders as I tried to think of a response she would be happy with. They were right, I had been too harsh on Melty after she had been nothing but polite and friendly with us, but I truly believed that it was the only response I could have given. "Trust me, Filo, I hated everything I had to say to Melty. You are right, she is a good person and she didn't deserve it. But I didn't want to lie to her and give her false hope."

Filo's eyes started to well with tears. "Does this mean I won't ever get to play with Melty any more?"

"Oh goodness no! Not at all!" I tried to reassure her, standing up and ruffling her hair. "Once the Wave is over I'll do my best to get you two together again. But for the meantime, it's probably best for us to stay away from Melty now that her sister and Motoyasu both know your true identity."

Filo didn't look reassured but at least her tears were drying up. This was probably helped by Raphtalia, who up until then had been a silent observer but had now moved forward and gently embraced Filo. The two girls shared a hug as Raphtalia tried to comfort her 'sister'.

"Shield-Hero! Can I please have a word?" I instantly recognised that voice and, sure enough, I turned around to see the guard from earlier. But this time he wasn't alone. With him this time were four others, two of them in armour similar to the guard whilst the others were clad in robes and had staffs in their hands.

"You're the one who kept chasing me through the city, and then got between myself and Motoyasu during our fight," I stated bluntly. "I assume the matter you want to talk about is urgent?"

"Not really but, I didn't know how else to approach you." The guard spoke up awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm sorry for giving you so much trouble, but what I want to ask is…could my group and I join your party for the next Wave?"

Given that I thought he had been a royal Guard and that his request was going to be a lot worse, I couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle of relief, which confused everyone present and upset one or two of the group. Seeing this, I quickly stifled my laugh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was laughing at your request. It's just that I'd convinced myself you were an envoy from the palace and that your request was only going to annoy me."

The guard waved off my apology, apologising for his part in making me think that. With that, I posted a question to them: "Why would you want to fight alongside me in the first place? I'm sure you know who I am by now. And besides, you seem like a capable group, I'm sure you could easily fight against the Wave by yourselves no problem."

One of the robed figures chuckled quietly as he spoke up. "We do know of you, but probably not in the way you expect Shield-Hero. You see, we are all inhabitants of Lute Village and were there when the last Wave hit. You and your companion saved our lives as well as the lives of everyone in the village, and that's why we wish to repay you by fighting alongside you this time."

The guard in front nodded at this. "I'm not sure if you remember me either, but I was one of the soldiers who fought alongside you to retake the village. And when we lost our jobs because of the King, you appealed to the Mayor on our behalf. Now, thanks to you, us and our families have happy lives in the village, and we are able to keep the villagers safe. So in thanks for all you've done for me personally, I would be more than honoured to fight alongside you."

My expression lit up as he told us who he was, something which I'm sure was mirrored on Raphtalia's face as well. No wonder he looked so familiar! I just hadn't been able to place where I had seen him before! "I'm sorry for not recognising you earlier!" I exclaimed. "I'm glad to see you are doing well for yourself. In terms of your request, I will grant it on the following conditions."

With this, I waved the excited group closer as Raphtalia and Filo moved to join us. "I'm sure you all get along really well with each other, but that needs to be tested in combat situations. In the remaining time before the Wave hits, I want you to go on quests, fight some dangerous monsters at your levels and level up together, this will really help you gel together as a group. This brings me on to the second part of my request. As you complete these quests and slay these monsters, you will no doubt start amassing a small fortune. Use those funds to get all your weapons and armour upgraded so that you have the best possible gear for the Wave. Sound good?"

They all looked between each other excitedly before nodding. I nodded in response with a smile. "Then hop to it! But don't exhaust yourselves. Remember to take frequent breaks, eat plenty and sleep well, this will put you in the best shape." With a final cheer, the group left the shop.

"You gave those guys something to aim for that won't be too difficult but will be of great help to them," Erhard noted. "Combined with their enthusiasm, I'm sure you'll have a well-oiled group by the time the Wave hits."

"That was the point," I responded before approaching Erhard at his counter. "Speaking of which, would it be possible to get all of our gear repaired and possibly upgraded before the Wave hits?"

"Sure I can," he responded with a knowing smirk. "But it will cost you a few gold."

"That's not a problem for me these days," I replied, matching my smirk with his as I pulled out a small bag of gold coins and threw it across to him. "Will that be sufficient?" I asked as he took a quick peek inside before nodding.

With payment all sorted, Raphtalia and I both changed out of our current armour (in separate areas of the store of course) whilst Filo poked around all of the equipment currently on display, and once we were done we handed them over to Erhard who passed me the previous set of armour he had made for me as well as a spare set for Raphtalia. As I was re-equipping myself I suddenly remembered something I had been wanting to bring up to Erhard, something I had noticed a short time ago in my Status Menu.

"Say, Erhard, you wouldn't happen to know what the star beside someone's nameplate and bars means would you?" Recently both Raphtalia and Filo had made it to level 40, and that's when the star had appeared beside their names. Ever since then, they hadn't been able to advance another level. I suspected the star had something to do with that.

"It means that that person is ready for a class upgrade," Erhard responded promptly.

"_I'm sure I've heard that term somewhere before!_" I thought to myself but struggled to place it as I asked Erhard for further clarification.

"The first level cap for adventurers and party members is level 40," Erhard obliged us. "Once that has been reached, a class upgrade is required in order for that person to level up further. It also allows that person to choose what path they want to take. When it came time for me to upgrade my class, I spent a really long time deciding what I wanted to do, because once you select it you are stuck with it. Since you are one of the four Heroes, you should have no problem getting those upgrades for your friends."

"It's probably best we get that sorted as soon as possible then, " I decided, motioning to the girls that we were leaving. "Thank you for all your help Erhard. We'll be back to pick up our stuff before the Wave hits." Erhard nodded in response and bade us farewell as we left the store.

§

As we emerged on the street by Erhard's store, I was already sifting through my Status Menu to find the tool-tip regarding Class Upgrades. It turned out that to acquire a Class Upgrade we would have to go to a major city's Dragon Hourglass. Since we were in the capital anyway, that actually worked out well for us and so that's where we started to head.

"So then girls," I spoke up, turning my head back to look at them. "Have you given any thought as to what Class Upgrade you want?"

"I'm happy with whatever you choose for me Master Fergus," Raphtalia replied whilst Filo simply nodded in agreement with her.

I sighed and shook my head at her response, turning to face the girls. "This is a major decision for you both and will impact the rest of your lives, so I can't make that choice for you," I began. "In order for you both to grow as people, you need to start making your own choices in life."

At that moment I was interrupted by Filo as she suddenly got distracted by a stand selling skewers nearby and ran over to investigate. I chuckled before turning back to Raphtalia and continued from where I left off. "Besides, there's no guarantee that I'm going to be around forever. If that turns out to be the case, the two of you need to be able to cope without me."

"What are you saying, Master Fergus?" Raphtalia asked, her tone and face betraying her anxiety at my words.

"Honestly Raphtalia, I don't know what's going to happen once all the Waves are defeated, but the most likely outcome in my mind is that I will be returned to my own world. If that is the case, I want you to be able to survive in this world without relying on me for everything." I replied

At these words Raphtalia rushed forward and took my hands in hers, looking at me with ever-growing alarm. "But you can't leave me, Fergus! Remember what you promised me! You swore we'd be together forever, not just to me, but to Filo as well! Please don't break your promise! Please don't leave us!"

I wrapped my hands over hers briefly before wrapping my arms around her in a gentle hug, trying to reassure her as much as possible. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that will happen Raphtalia, but not even I can change the future. I'm sorry" With another squeeze I let go, but as I turned to go and sort out some skewers, I noted that my reply hadn't comforted her at all.

After we had eaten the skewers, we made our way towards the Church and after entering made our way up towards the Hourglass. Unlike last time however we weren't alone, there were several robed women in attendance by the Hourglass itself, almost as if they had been expecting us. I paid that no mind, figuring it made my job easier that they were in plain sight. "I am here to ask about getting a class upgrade for my companions," I spoke up formally as we approached the Hourglass.

The two standing behind shared a small chuckle whilst the one in front smirked as she responded: "That will be fifteen gold for a single class upgrade."

"_Fifteen gold?! That's got to be extortion, no way would such a crucial service be that much?!_" "Are you sure it's that expensive?" I asked, but the only response I got was the same as before: "It is fifteen gold for a single class upgrade." As she was saying this, I heard more chuckles from all around us as more robed nuns entered the vicinity.

"_I'm positive this is a damned stitch-up judging by the reactions of everyone here, but I have no way to prove it. Besides, I have the money so I might as well play their game._" As these thoughts ran through my head I counted out fifteen gold coins into a small pouch and held it out to the nun. "Very well then. Raphtalia, you're getting the class upgrade this time around."

"No fair! I want it as much as she does! Why does she get it first?" Filo whined with a pout.

"Because she was the first member of my party, it's only fair. It will be your turn next time." I responded shortly and made to hand over the bag of gold to the nun when suddenly we were interrupted by a loud voice.

"A mistake has been made, and as such, this service cannot be provided." This was spoken by another nun who had appeared, the only difference between her and the rest was that she was dressed in a more ornate garb than the rest.

"How can this be a mistake? We have the amount requested, and I am the right level. What have we done wrong?" Raphtalia asked in a confused tone.

The senior nun smirked in response as she unfolded a decree that was stamped with the royal seal. "By the order of the King, the Shield-Hero is barred from getting class upgrades for any members of his party."

"_THAT ABSOLUTE BASTARD!_" I raged internally to myself. "_Always finding another excuse to mess with me. Next time I see him I am having words!_" Not wanting to create a scene in front of those present, I stuffed my bag of gold back in my pack and, without a word, motioned for the girls to follow me as we departed from the area.

"_I don't think Erhard can help us any further,_" I thought to myself as we left the Church. "_And since those nuns are obviously against us, there's only one person who could possibly help us. Beloukas had some high-level slaves when I first met him, which he must have gotten class upgrades for. If anyone knows any more, it's him_. _As much as I don't want to go back there, it seems I'm going to have to pay him a visit._"

§

"Do you really think Beloukas can help us? And even if he can, are you sure we can trust him?" Raphtalia asked me as we approached Beloukas' tent.

"He may be a slave trader and a greedy bastard, but he's actually been one of the very few people who has been on our side," I replied. "He's never been one to hide his true nature, despite it being absolutely reprehensible, and has always been honest in our dealings. Besides, " I patted Raphtalia on the head at this point. "If I hadn't taken him up on his offer, you and I would never have met."

Raphtalia looked away blushing furiously as Filo spoke up at this point. "And me Master, don't forget this is where you first got my egg!"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Filo!" I replied heartily, patting her head now. "So for that, I guess we could say we have a lot to thank him for. Huh, never thought I'd say that about a slave trader…such is my lot in life."

After I checked the coast was clear, the three of us entered the tent. We looked around for Beloukas but he didn't seem to be in the immediate vicinity. "BELOUKAS!" I called out. "Your favourite customer has returned and would like to speak with you!"

As soon as my words died I heard an excited shuffle from nearby and in what seemed to be no time at all Beloukas appeared in front of us. "Ah Shield-Hero, it is always a pleasure to have you at my establishment! From what I've heard, you seem to be doing very well for yourself!" He said excitedly, reaching out his hand for me to shake.

I took his hand and gave it a shake as I looked around, noting that the majority of the cages were empty. "Seems you are doing well for yourself as well," I replied.

"All thanks to your efforts of course!" He said heartily. "The success of your merchant business has done wonders for my own dealings, for which I am more than grateful of course!"

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. Beloukas grinned in response before turning his gaze to Filo, who quickly hid behind my cloak in fright. "I've been hearing that your Filolial Queen has gained quite a reputation for herself, or should I now call her the Heavenly Fowl? Because of this, nobles from all over the realm have been making enquiries to myself and other traders about procuring one for themselves!"

He then turned his gaze to Raphtalia who couldn't help but take a step back in a mixture of fright and disgust. "As for your demi-human companion, your success in raising her has given my business a sterling reputation for producing high-quality slaves, and as such many of them have been purchased, which has netted me a considerable sum! Through both of these means, the money just can't stop rolling in!"

"Bravo, glad to hear you are doing so well!" I replied, sarcasm lacing my voice as the girls both looked at me confused, probably wondering I was congratulating this sleaze. "_I'll have to educate them about sarcasm one day._" I thought to myself before switching the topic. "But that's not why I'm here. I came here for information and some assistance if possible."

"Why of course, how can I be of assistance?" He asked in response.

"My two companions are now at level 40 and are eligible for Class Upgrades. However when I went to the Dragon Hourglass to acquire them, I was blocked from doing so by the King's decree, just one more excuse for him to spite me," I explained bitterly. "And so I came to ask you if you know anything about or even if you could perform them yourself? After all, I did notice on my first visit here that you had some high-level slaves which I presume had Class Upgrades of their own."

"That is unfortunate," Beloukas replied, rubbing his chin in thought. "I cannot give you Class Upgrades myself, but fear not! I know of another means to acquire them. Since you have been barred from getting them in Melromarc, you can always apply to get the upgrades at another country's Hourglass."

"Wait a moment, are you telling me there are other countries?" I had only studied maps of Melromarc up to this point, but it was entirely feasible that there would be other countries in this world.

"Oh, of course, Melromarc is bordered by several of them" Beloukas stated as he waddled over to a pile of papers. "Normally, I would charge a great deal for the information I am about to give, but since you have done a great deal to help my business, you can have this for free."

This led to me, Raphtalia and Beloukas pouring over a map of Melromarc and the surrounding countries since Filo was more than content with all the shiny knick-knacks littered around the tent. "Apart from Melromarc of course, the best places for you to go would be the mercenary nation of Zeltoble, the demi-human country of Siltvelt or the nation of Shieldfreeden. If I were in your shoes, I would go to Shieldfreeden first as that's where you would receive the best welcome," Beloukas explained, pointing out each nation on the map as he said them.

Since I was ignorant of the geography and nations of the world, I nodded in agreement with his recommendation. "How long would it take to get to Shieldfreeden?" Raphtalia asked.

"If you went by boat, it would take you about two weeks, "Beloukas replied. "But in your cart, the journey would take about a month, depending on how fast you travel."

"We'd never make it there and back by the time the Wave hits," I calculated remorsefully. "However this information is better than nothing, and gives us our next objective once the next Wave has been dealt with."

"Speaking of the next Wave, I believe I can be of assistance in that regard," Beloukas spoke up, going through his stash of trinkets before producing some metal talons. "If your Filolial wears these, it will give her a significant boost to her attack power. Why don't you try them out?"

I nodded, waving Filo over who after my quick explanation turned into her Filolial form so that Beloukas could fit the talons. "These feel really strange Master," Filo moaned, examining the talons as she shuffled her feet about, trying to get more comfortable. Raphtalia tried her best to reassure Filo that they would probably feel strange at first but given time she'd get used to them.

"How much do you want for these Beloukas?" I asked, turning back to the slave trader who grinned at me. "For you, I'll take 5 gold pieces!"

"Considering I was going to be screwed out of 15 gold just for a class upgrade, I'll take it. You've got yourself a deal," I replied, reaching into my pack and fishing out 5 gold coins before handing them to Beloukas, who received them gratefully. "Always a pleasure doing business with you Shield-Hero!"

"My companion raised a good point just now," I said, catching his attention once more. "Filo will need time and experience to get used to the talons. Do you know of anywhere nearby we can do that?"

"Well I did overhear that there are some monsters dwelling in the city sewers that need dealing with, that should be good enough for you." I nodded in response, thanking Beloukas for all of his help, before waving to the girls that we were leaving. Beloukas, of course, couldn't let us go without telling us that he was looking forward to our next visit

§

Beloukas' tip was a good one. It turns out the monsters in the sewers was a small pack of creatures that resembled crocodiles from my world. Even though they were numerous, their level wasn't too high, and with our teamwork, we were able to deal with them without too much issue. It also turned out to be a good test for Filo's new talons, and by the time the last monster fell, she proclaimed that she was very happy with them.

Since it had been a long day, we retired to a nearby inn to rest for the night before heading back on the road. Filo instantly flopped on her and Raphtalia's bed and went straight to sleep as I set about changing Raphtalia's bandages again, making sure to soak the new ones in the high-quality Holy Water we had acquired earlier that day.

"What are our plans now Master Fergus?" Raphtalia asked me as I finished applying the fresh bandages.

"Well since our enthusiastic future party members are off doing their own thing, the only thing we can really do is restart our merchant business. I was thinking of heading into the northern parts of Melromarc since we haven't been there yet. We'll stock up on supplies, help out a few people and scout out some possible locations for the Wave. Sound good?"

Raphtalia nodded, trying to look enthusiastic yet failing. Something was playing on her mind. "Raphtalia…you seem distracted. What's wrong?" I asked gently.

"It's just…I cannot stop thinking about our conversation from earlier…about how you might leave us when all the Waves are gone…" "_Ah, I had a feeling she would bring that up again…_" I thought disconsolately as I moved to take her hands in mine. She tried to smile at this, but again her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"It's as I said Raphtalia. I swore to stay with you forever, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that remains the case. Yet I cannot change fate if that turns out to be the case. I know it's not of great comfort but…"

"Master Fergus!" She spoke up suddenly, her face now resolved. "If you do end up going back to your home...Could you…perhaps…take me with you when you go?"

I watched her face, unsure of how to respond to this. To be honest, I hadn't thought of that possibility. "_Could she really come back with me? Again, I don't know what will happen…but still, for her to say that…she really must think the world of me…_" This train of thought both warmed and broke my heart as she looked down, a small blush on her face as she continued. "No matter where you go, I want to be by your side. Ever since we started our journey together, I have found myself wanting to be apart from you less and less, and it's now got to the point where I don't ever want to leave your side…I want to spend the rest of my life with you…as your Sword, your friend and…maybe…if you wanted…more?"

At that moment, everything else faded from my sight and from my mind. The only thing that mattered to me now was the girl in front of me, my best friend who was currently pouring her heart out to me. In this current moment, all I wanted to do was give her comfort."Raphtalia…" I spoke softly as I reached to take her face in my hands. She blushed furiously at my touch but her smile remained, and right now all I could think about was keeping that smile there for all eternity and doing whatever I had to in order to ensure that. Without realising, my face started leaning in towards hers, an action that only caused her face to redden but she didn't move back. Instead, she moved her face towards mine as our foreheads touched. My lips were so close to hers, so close to…

"HEY!" A loud voice came from out of the blue, startling myself and Raphtalia so much that we instantly let go of one another, jumping back against the wall in fright. The source of the disturbance was Filo, who was standing on her bed, finger pointed at us and pouting. "Stop being all lovey-dovey with one another! That's not fair!"

I was now blushing away myself as I turned my face away from Filo, finding myself unable to look at her in embarrassment. Raphtalia was faring no better, her face flushed red as she stammered a reply to an angry Filo. "That's not what we were doing Filo!"

"OH YES YOU WERE! You two were going to kiss, I could see it plain as day!" She replied angrily.

"We were not!"

"Were to"

"Absolutely not!"

"Okay okay you two, enough!" I called out, getting both of their attention. My face was currently looking downward, unable to meet Raphtalia's right now. "We've all had a long day and I imagine we're all tired. Let's get some sleep so we can start early in the morning." My words didn't seem to mollify Filo who continued to pout but she did as I said, and before long both her and Raphtalia were curled up and fast asleep on their bed.

As for me? There was zero chance of me getting to sleep after everything that had just happened. So in order to distract myself, I decided to put some final touches on the trinkets I had made for them both. It took a long time but I was eventually satisfied with how they looked

§

The girls and I left early the next morning towards the northern parts of Melromarc, as I wanted to make good use of the remaining time we had before the next Wave hit. But as we travelled further and further North, it became very apparent something was wrong. As we passed each village, the buildings looked more and more run-down, as if they hadn't been inhabited for a while. And it was so quiet as well, there was hardly anyone on the roads. What on earth was going on? A war? Disease? Famine? It had to have been something big to leave this part of the country so desolate.

I soon found out why.

As we came upon another village, I could see the walls that bordered Melromarc in the distance, signifying that this would be the border town. And this time our coming was noted. A guard was tending the land near the town gate and so I directed Filo towards him. I handed him my merchant pass, and even though he had a good look at it, he still asked, albeit reluctantly, for a toll of two silvers.

As much as I wanted to ask why I was being charged, I changed my mind upon seeing the guard's reluctance and paid the toll. "Is everything okay? You seem rather…disconsolate." I asked the guard.

The guard shook his head wearily. "You'll see for yourself in the village, but thank you for asking…you are the first person to give a damn in a while."

Well if that wasn't a grim foreshadowing, I don't know what was. I hopped off the cart and, taking Filo's reins, lead it into the village proper. Just like the last few villages we had passed, the buildings were all run-down and there wasn't a person in sight.

"This is horrible…" Raphtalia murmured quietly. "If the next Wave were to hit this village, the people wouldn't stand a chance…"

I nodded in agreement. "We need answers as to what the hell happened…if only there was someone we could ask…"

My words died as I heard a commotion from ahead. All of a sudden a crowd of people approached us, all looking emaciated and dressed in rags, but who seemed absolutely delighted to see us. I soon found out why.

"Please sir, I'll give you everything I own if you could just please give us some food and supplies!" One of them asked, holding out a small totem as the others made similar requests. At the sight of this, my conscience took over. There was no way I was going to leave them like this.

"I absolutely refuse to take anything from you all," I spoke up in a clear voice. "If you can wait a few minutes more, I'll have some food made for all of you. I promise I will not leave until everyone in the village has a proper meal!" The villagers let out a cheer at my words as I turned to Raphtalia and Filo and told them to help me set up an emergency soup kitchen.

In what seemed like no time at all, a group of villagers were now sat all around the cart, each of them taking grateful sips from mugs of soup that myself and the girls were cooking up and passing around. I eventually took a seat amongst a small group of them and asked them if they could explain how they ended up in this state.

"We are all refugees from the country on the opposite side of that border wall," one of them spoke up as he pointed to the walls in the distance. "We came to this country to escape the current regime."

"How did you all come to be in this state?" I asked

"Well it all started when an adventurer from your country gathered together a resistance to overthrow the King of our country, who had been taxing us heavily," another of them spoke up. "Their revolution was a success, but after the adventurer left and the resistance came into power, things got a lot worse. The new rulers raised the taxes even higher and even hired mercenaries to get rid of any dissenting voices. This caused many people to flee, not just to Melromarc but to any country they could." At this, the villager's expression saddened. "In the process of fleeing, however, many of us didn't make it…either due to starvation or they were cut down by the new regime's mercenaries…"

He fell silent at this which caused another of them to speak out. "Can't believe I would ever say this, but I much preferred things under the previous King. Even though he was a vicious sort, he at least kept the taxes manageable and used the money wisely. These new rulers are only out to line their own pockets…"

I listened to the tale in silence, trying and failing to sympathise with what these people were going through. I don't think I could ever understand how much these people had suffered, nor did I want to. But still, I was determined to do whatever I could to bring these people justice, and the obvious thing to do was find this adventurer and see him punished for what he had done. And so I asked a question to the group: "Did any of you happen to see this adventurer, or at least get a glimpse of what he looked like?"

Several of them shook their heads, but the one who had spoken up first spoke up again now: "He mostly kept to the shadows and his face obscured, but I was able to sneak a quick glimpse when his hood slipped off briefly. He was a youngster, had blonde hair, and was carrying an ornate bow which glowed yellow when he attacked."

I clenched my fists at these words, trying to suppress my sudden feelings of anger. There was only one person I knew who matched that description, and this explained why people hadn't been able to pinpoint his exact location.

Itsuki. Everything was now full circle. All three heroes had screwed up big time, and each time I'd had to step in and clear up the mess they left behind. As soon as I got back to the capital, I was going to find Itsuki and Ren, and have words with both of them.

This cacophony of stupidity had gone on long enough. People's lives were being affected, not just those in Melromarc, but those in other countries as well. And as one of the Heroes, and the only sensible one, I had to make this right.

I thanked the villagers for this information, and once everyone had had their fill, I made sure to leave behind enough supplies to tide them over until after the next Wave had hit. In the meantime, the girls and I made our way back to the capital to make our final preparations for the Wave.

As were we travelling, I told Raphtalia to cover her ears. She didn't even question it. She knew what was coming and instantly covered her ears as I let out one more scream to the heavens.

"DAMN YOU ITSUKI!"

§

As we returned to the capital, the countdown for the Wave hit the 24-hour mark. And since it was the final day, I wanted to spoil the girls one last time so I took them straight to one of our favourite establishments and ordered a large platter of food, which made Filo in particular ecstatic. As we all tucked into the food, I heard the door of the inn open and then close. I peeked out of the corner of my eye to see if it was anyone of note, and I am so glad I peeked.

It was somebody I hadn't seen for a very long time. And one of the people I needed to speak to. It was Ren. As I continued to watch, Ren ordered a drink and sat down at a table not too far away from me, but he didn't start drinking, as though he was waiting for someone.

That someone arrived not long after, also ordering a drink before sitting down opposite Ren. It was Itsuki.

Well, this made my life easier, the two people I needed to speak to most had just appeared in the very same building I just happened to be in. Coincidence? Providence? Right now I didn't care. There was going to be no better time to have the chat I needed with both of them. I decided to finish my meal first and then go over and talk to them.

Also quite fortuitously, neither of them seemed to have noticed I was there as they started their discussion. I didn't even need to stretch to overhear, they were talking plenty loud enough as it is.

"I just completed a quest to overthrow a corrupt King in the country to the North," Itsuki began. "But when I went back to the guild to pick up my reward, someone had already taken it!"

Well, that confirmed that it had been Itsuki who was responsible for what had happened up north, but that last part was strange. Someone had picked up the reward instead? How was that even possible?

This drew a nod of agreement from Ren. "Something similar happened to me. I undertook a quest to slay a dragon in the east, but when I came back, my reward was gone as well." "_Ren too?_" I pondered.

"Someone must be impersonating us and screwing us out of our quest rewards," Itsuki concluded after a moment of thought.

"_Really? That's the best explanation you could come up with?_" I thought irritably. "_But then again, given that it's happened to both of them, it's not too far of a stretch to have that be plausible…_" My train of thought was interrupted by one of Itsuki's party members approaching their table and handing a small slip of paper to the Bow Hero. "Sir Itsuki, this quest just became available from the guild. Apparently, a lord in a northern province is overtaxing the villagers and hiring mercenaries to quell any dissenters. They want us to overthrow him."

Itsuki nodded at this, a smirk on his face. "Well then, sounds like this lord needs to be taught that with great power, comes great responsibility."

Wait a minute. WAIT A GOD-DAMN MINUTE! Did he just seriously quote Spiderman?! Oh, that was too good, and so ironic at the same time! Itsuki really needed to take his own advice but still…that Spiderman reference, that was brilliant!. I had to stifle the laugh that was threatening to well up and motioned for the girls to stay where they were. It was time to have that talk with my fellow Heroes.

I quietly got up from out of my seat and sneaked up behind Itsuki, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey there Itsuki, you get bit by a spider or something?"

Itsuki jumped up in his seat with shock before rapidly turning around, eyes narrowed upon seeing that it was me who startled him. Ren managed his surprise much better as his gaze turned to me as addressed me warily: "Fergus..what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't help but overhear Itsuki's words about with great power comes great responsibility and wanted to talk about it with him, after all, it reminded me of a quote by a superhero from my reality," I commented with amusement before turning my gaze back to Itsuki, whose expression was currently laced in a grimace. "You know Itsuki, you should consider taking your own advice for once. You might actually learn something."

"It was you wasn't it?!" Itsuki leapt up from his chair and pointing directly at me. "You're the one who's been impersonating us and taking our quest rewards! Don't you dare deny it!"

I quietly smacked my face with my palm and shook my head in annoyance. "If you've been paying attention to what I've been doing over the past few weeks, you would probably know I'm doing well enough for money as it is. Why the hell would I need to screw you out of your rewards? That makes no sense!"

"Who else would come up with such a duplicitous scheme?" Itsuki snarled.

"Oh, I get it. It's so easy to accuse the supposed criminal of every crime possible, isn't it? First rape, then slavery and now theft as well? Why don't you just start blaming me for the smallest of crimes as well? Some kid off the streets stole a loaf of bread? Oh, the Shield-Hero must have been behind it! A horse shits all over a noble's new clothes? Blame the Shield-Hero! That would solve all your problems!" I proclaimed sarcastically. "Just give it a rest already. Besides, that's not even why I'm here in the first place. I overheard that it was you who led a resistance to overthrow a King in a nearby country. Is that true?"

"I did, but stop changing the subject, Fergus!" Itsuki responded angrily. "Admit you took my reward money!"

"Do you have any idea what you've done you idiot?" I said quietly, my voice starting to tremble with anger. "I was in the North a few days ago, and I spoke to some of the inhabitants of that country you supposedly saved. According to them, once the King had been overthrown and the resistance you organised took charge of the country, they raised the taxes even higher than the levels they were at beforehand and used those funds to hire mercenaries to quell any dissenting voices who spoke up against them. This forced many of the citizens to flee to neighbouring countries, but a lot of them died before they could escape. Whether they died due to starvation or were murdered by the new regime, their deaths are on all your hands."

I took a deep breath before continuing, noting with irritation that Itsuki's expression hadn't changed. "The previous king might have been a vicious bastard, but the taxes he implemented, though high, were manageable, and the money was being put to good use. You made things ten times worse."

"Stop changing the subject, Fergus!" Itsuki yelled, but his tirade was halted by a firm hand on his shoulder.

Ren had moved to Itsuki's side and was currently holding him back. "Wait a moment Itsuki. Let's see if Fergus can explain away what happened to my reward money."

I turned my gaze in his direction. "You got a quest to slay a dragon in a village to the east, didn't you?"

Ren nodded. "So tell me, Fergus, how did you know if, as you claim, you weren't the one who took the reward?"

"On my route as a travelling merchant, I overheard a discussion about a plague that had arisen in the east, and how the people there didn't have enough medicine," I started to explain. "I travelled there myself to render aid, but by the time I got to the village, everyone had been infected, from the village chief right down to the smallest child. I was able to treat the immediate symptoms, but some people had already died before I arrived."

I stopped my tale again for a moment, making sure I locked eyes with Ren before continuing. "I spoke to the doctor about what had happened, and he explained in detail. Tell me, Ren, did you not think to dispose of the dragon's corpse after you had killed it? No, you didn't, instead, you propped it up as a memorial to your strength and left it there. Eventually, it started decomposing, and the remains started emitting poisonous fumes, which caused the people nearby to collapse. And since you had planted it on top of the mountain, the mountain winds carried the poison down into the village, infecting everyone it came in contact with. You caused a bloody epidemic!"

Ren's eyes widened in shock as he processed this. "You…you don't mean…"

"I do Ren," I replied firmly, making sure he got the point. "You caused that plague that spread. Because of you, innocent people died. Men, women, and children, all of those deaths are on your head. If you think I'm lying, go back to that village, talk to the people yourself. They'll tell you the exact same thing."

As both of the Heroes struggled to process this, I didn't let up: "Do you remember the conversation I had with you all on our first night here, about whether this was a game or not? I remember, and I also remember what you told me Itsuki. You said that until we knew more, you were just going to go along with what you were familiar with and treat this all as a game. Well, you know more now, everything I have just told you should be enough evidence to prove that this isn't a game any more. This is all real, and every choice, every decision you make has consequences. Because of your mistakes, innocent people have died, and they will continue to do so until you wise up and take things seriously."

I took a deep breath, looking between the both of them. "I've already had this same conversation with Motoyasu. He planted a seed that caused a swarm of mutated plants to overtake a village, thankfully no-one died. But he refused to listen. I strongly advise you to not to do the same."

Ren's eyes suddenly darted to a spot to the left of me, and as I watched his expression turned even more horrified. I turned to look at where he was staring and realised that Raphtalia and Filo had come to my side as I had been speaking, and Ren's eyes were currently locked on Raphtalia's bandages. "The dragon's corpse reanimated as we tried to dispose of it," I added. "During the fight, Raphtalia was gravely wounded and Filo was almost killed. But thankfully, we were able to put it down for good."

Ren looked down at the floor, looking utterly miserable, and right then I couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for him. He looked genuinely upset as he raised his eyes once more, looking first to Raphtalia and then at me, before he spoke the last words I had been expecting to hear: "I'm sorry, for all the suffering I have caused you, and for all the trouble I have put you through."

Turns out I wasn't the only one surprised by Ren's admission, as Itsuki looked over at his fellow hero in shock. "Wait, you believe him? Even after everything he has done?!"

"He has no reason to lie about the extremities he put himself through, nor the cause of his companion's injuries. Plus if you think about it, what happened to us lines up perfectly with what he just told us." Ren replied

I nodded in gratitude at Ren, making a mental note to put more trust in the Sword Hero from then on. Regardless of the fact that he still had a streak of stubbornness and arrogance about him, he at least seemed genuinely concerned by what he had done, which in my mind put him as way more reasonable than Motoyasu or Itsuki. "Glad to see at least one of you is seeing sense. I hope for your sakes, and everyone else's, that all of you do the same. Remember my warning: Every time you slip-up, you risk people's lives." With these words, I turned to Raphtalia and Filo. "Come on then girls, time to pick up our equipment and make some final preparations. Ren, Itsuki, I wish the both of you good fortune in the fight to come"

The girls nodded as we started making our way out. However, just when I thought I'd made some progress, Itsuki decided to block my attempts to leave. "You may have fooled Ren but I refuse to believe you! Hand over my reward money, NOW!"

I could feel my left hand trembling and curled it into a fist to try and get it to stop shaking. After all the stupidity I had dealt with over the past few weeks, I was almost at the limit of how much more I could take. "Get out of my way Itsuki," I said calmly.

"No, someone has to put you in your place! You've done nothing but caused problems for us all ever since we came here!" He yelled back, jabbing his finger toward my breastplate.

"_Pot really calling the kettle black there,_" I thought to myself as I levelled Itsuki with a fierce glare, my whole body starting to tremble with anger. "Last warning Itsuki. Get. Out. Of. My. Way!"

"You really are a disgrace to the word 'Hero'!"

That tore it, I couldn't take any more of this. Without warning I let fly with my left fist and decked Itsuki right across the face, sending him flying across the inn before landing with a thud, causing all the patrons to gasp in shock. Luckily for him, I didn't hear any of his bones break, but as he sat up he started angrily rubbing his face whilst glaring at me: "Fergus you-!"

"SHUT. UP. And listen for once in your god-damned life!" I growled, stomping my way over so that I was glaring down at him. "You know Itsuki, out of all the Heroes, I thought you would be the one I would get along best with. I thought you were a sensible stand-up guy with a good heart. But I guess, like Ren, my first impressions of you were horribly wrong. I initially though Ren as an arrogant, stuck-up jerk." As I said this I quickly looked back at Ren and added: "Sorry about that Ren, but I'm glad I was wrong. You seem like a sensible guy with a good head on your shoulders." Ren didn't react as he just continued to look on flabbergasted whilst I turned my gaze back to a downed Itsuki and continued where I left off:

"At least with Motoyasu I was prepared for him to be an arrogant jerk who thought he was a ladies man, but I am certain underneath that he has a good heart, he's just too much under the Princess' thumb. But you Itsuki, you are the sort of person I absolutely despise, the type who tries to put on a cool and mysterious act that will make people think highly of you when in reality you are anything but. You think you are some cool mysterious hero of justice who makes things happen from the shadows, killing the corrupt and saving people's lives, getting praised for your deeds from those you help, but never revealing yourself to them. News flash dumbass: You absolutely suck at that!"

Itsuki tired to speak up again but I wasn't having any of it. My blood was up and I was determined to let Itsuki know exactly what I thought of him: "Your actions with that revolution in the north back up everything I just said and then some! By sticking to the shadows and refusing to take outright credit for what you set in motion, you were able to avoid all the consequences and repercussions for what happened in the aftermath, and the worst part of is you don't give a damn about all those refugees, living or dead! No, all you cared about was the fucking reward!"

I calmly knelt down and put my face right in his to make absolutely sure he got my final point: "You call me a disgrace to the word 'Hero'? You ought to look yourself in the mirror and say that. Looking back, I really can't believe that I thought you were a decent person in any way. You are an arrogant, selfish dick Itsuki, the absolute worst out of all four of us, and I regret ever giving you a single amount of credit!" With these final words, I strode out of the doors of the inn, Raphtalia and Filo quickly following in my wake, leaving behind a flabbergasted Ren and an enraged Itsuki.

As we made our way to Erhard's shop, I took several deep breaths to try and calm myself down from the state I had worked myself in, an action that did not escape Raphtalia's notice. "Are you okay Master Fergus?" She asked with concern.

"I'll be okay, thank you Raphtalia. Just need to try and settle myself down." I reassured her.

"You were really mean to Bow Guy Master Fergus," Filo spoke up, a hint of disapproval in her tone. "Did he really deserve that?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But I'd been holding onto my frustration and anger at their stupidity and ignorance for too long, it was always going to burst at some point," I replied. "Itsuki just pushed me over the edge. And everything I said about him was one hundred percent true. But we did get some good news out of all that, we at least know Ren is somewhat dependable."

"Melty won't be happy if she hears about what happened." Raphtalia pointed out.

"Yeah, guess her plans to get all four of us on the same page just went up in smoke," I commented. "I tried though, but sadly Motoyasu and Itsuki are lost causes."

§

"Ah, the Shield-Hero and his party return!" Erhard boomed as we entered the shop. "You'll be pleased to know I've been able to get your gear all fixed. I was even able to give your armour a few new touches as well Fergus."

"You're a saint, thank you, Erhard," I replied, bowing in appreciation as Erhard passed over Raphtalia's armour to her. As she dashed into the back to get changed, he got my armour out and quickly explained what he had done: He had been able to take a part of the zombie dragon's crystal that I had given him as a material and embedded it into my breastplate, as well as adding an Auto-Repair function to the whole set.

I thanked him and, once Raphtalia had gotten herself changed I made my way into the back to do the same. Just as I re-emerged, the doors of the shop opened once more as the group from Lute Village piled in, almost tripping over themselves in their haste to report back to me. I gave a quick once over of all of their gear, noting with delight that all of them had upgraded their armaments and armour in some form or another. "Welcome back you guys," I waved them over. "I can see your efforts have been a success. Tell me how it went from your point of view."

"Ake and his party reporting in Sir Shield-Hero!" The soldier saluted eagerly. "Your advice really helped us out! Over the past few days, we've really come together as a group, even more than I'd thought possible, and now we feel more than ready to fight the Wave alongside you if you'll still have us!"

I looked over all of them one more time before my face cracked into a smile as I gave my verdict: "It would be my honour to have you all fight alongside us against the Wave. Welcome aboard!" This caused a loud cheer to erupt from everyone present as I shook the hands of all of my new party members, which was swiftly followed by Raphtalia and Filo, both being carried along by the excited atmosphere, giving each of them an enthusiastic hug. Once all the greetings were out of the way, I swiped my way through my Status Screen and, just as it is in a World of Warcraft raid group, Ake's group and their health bars appeared as Group 2 in my field of view, alongside mine, Raphtalia's and Filo's bars in Group 1. Once that was out of the way, I pulled everyone together for a quick strategy meeting.

After that rapid strategy meeting, in which we went over a few last-minute details and answered a few burning questions, we got to the task of supplying up for the Wave. As the countdown reached the last couple of minutes, Ake's group were in the process of stockpiling their supply of potions and other battlefield items from my cart as I called over Raphtalia and Filo for a private chat, where I fished out the two accessories I had been crafting for them:

For Raphtalia, I had fashioned a bracelet that would boost her mana regeneration and which fitted snugly on her arm.

For Filo, I had crafted a hair-clip that when equipped would boost her physical attack and defence. Once the clip had been carefully attached, I asked her to change to her Filolial form to make sure it would stay attached in both forms. The good news was, it did, and all of a sudden I found myself in a mass of arms and feathers as they both gave me a hug. "THANK YOU SO MUCH MASTER FERGUS!" They cried in unison, which I responded by patting them on the head and belly respectively.

Now that that was out of the way, Ake's group joined up with the three of us, and with Erhard watching on, I gave everyone their final orders: "Good luck everyone. Remember, the most important things is to stay safe and look out for another. Do that, and we'll all come back out of this alive. Understood?"

Everyone let out various sounds of approval as the Wave countdown hit zero. As the sky changed colour once again, Erhard wished us luck as the familiar yellow light from before covered us as it teleported us away.

**And that's Chapter 13 squared away! Had one or two troubles coming up with a suitable chapter title but in the end, I'm happy with it. With that, into the few changes!:**

**1\. Fergus' treatment of Melty - Okay, whilst I can sort of understand why Naofumi behaved the way he did in the anime, that was still dickish to me. Being a nicer person, Fergus was obviously going to be much kinder. However, the answer is still the same, and Melty's request was denied like it was in the anime. There's too much bad blood on both sides**

**2\. Fergus' task for Ake's group - Self-explanatory. As a Wow player, Fergus understands that a group needs to fully be on the same page as well as having the best equipment possible. By giving them the remaining days to do this, the group should be able to function much better.**

**3\. The near-kiss between Fergus and Raphtalia - So much tease! The affection is there on both sides, but I don't intend for them to get together here and now. Will they be a couple in the future? I am still deciding on that, and my final decision will be evident in the last few chapters of this story.**

**4\. Fergus' epic put-down of Itsuki - I know a lot of people's least favourite of the Heroes is Motoyasu and with good reason. For me, however, at least we knew Motoyasu had the potential to be this arrogant and stupid, and besides, he's a sucker for pretty faces. Without Malty's manipulations, Motoyasu has some potential for goodness. Itsuki however…oh boy, I so wanted to do this for Itsuki, as at the start of the anime I thought he'd be my second favourite of the Heroes after Naofumi. Oh hell nope, Itsuki to me is the worst of all of them, he just reeks of arrogance and refuses to believe he's done wrong even though it's so obvious that he has. He's just too far gone into his version of what a Hero should be that he's lost sight of what he was aiming for and has instead become an arrogant, selfish dick. AND I SO ENJOYED GIVING HIM THIS TONGUE-LASHING AND PUNCH TO THE FACE! Expect from now on for there to be a LOT of hatred between Fergus and Itsuki…with Itsuki being number 3 on Fergus' shit list, behind Malty and Aultcray.**

**That brings me on to something else, something I was discussing with a reviewer over PM's. What is going to be Fergus' breaking point? And what will fuel his rage when the Rage Shield is out? The answer is something I have alluded in a previous author's note when I was explaining how Fergus ticks. Fergus' breaking point will be the overwhelming amount of stupidity and ignorance that comes from his fellow Heroes, and as we know throughout the story that will just keep on coming. Will it cause him to completely lose his sanity or himself to the Shield of Rage? Well, I have plans for it, and we'll see where that goes.**

**Once again, thank you for giving this a read. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Now that we're back in the swing of things, expect the next chapter to be up next week. Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I'll see you in the next one!**


	16. Ch 14 - A Ship of Fools

**I just wanted to that start off this AN by commenting on the latest episode, again I will not spoil for dub viewers. What was funny was that I'd been having a conversation over PM with another user about the exact same thing, and we both came to the same conclusion: There is no way in hell we would ever have the other 3 Heroes in our parties, heck they'd only be a last resort! It was just…GRRRR, they're lucky their fictional, I've never wanted to punch people as much as I wanted to punch them after that episode.**

**I think I may have also found some new anime to watch. I started watching Isekai Quartet a few days ago, and now I am tempted to watch the Saga of Tanya the Evil and Konosuba as well. I might just do that over the weekend. If you are a fan of Overlord, Re:Zero or the other two I anime I just mentioned I'd strongly advise you to check out Isekai Quartet on Crunchyroll.**

**Now that those little notes are out of the way, onto the next chapter! This episode covers the events of the Third Wave or the Second Wave for our Heroes. How much will the other Heroes continue to frustrate Fergus? Will Fergus be able to control his annoyance and anger at them? And will they able to defeat the Wave? Let's find out!**

**As usual, mandatory disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 14 - A Ship of Fools

The wave of light that transported us to the Wave's location faded, allowing us to take a moment to reorientate ourselves. As we did, I made sure to switch my regular gauntlet on my left hand to my Arm-Blade before I took a good look around at our surroundings. Hang on a minute…this all looked familiar to me for some reason…That was it!

"I remember this place, it's where I once healed an old lady who was deathly unwell. It's North of the capital, but not properly North," I explained to everyone there before remembering what we were here for. "No time to waste everyone, let's move out!"

As one the eight of us moved into the village proper, and as we did we got our first glimpses of the Wave's monsters: Goblins, the weakest of the Wave's monsters but deadly in a swarm, Beastmen, feral warriors who attacked using swords and their own claws, and Lizardmen, coming in various shapes and sizes ranging from upright soldiers (think Lizardmen from Overlord) to large hydra-like creatures. As we cut down a few of these each, I started formulating a plan in the back of my mind. Once there was a gap in the fighting, I quickly brought the group together to explain it:

"Ake, you and your group will focus mainly on the Goblins, but if you happen to run into any Beastmen or Lizardmen, make sure you take them down as a group. Whatever you do, don't fight them one-on-one." Ake nodded at this as I turned to the girls. "We'll focus on the larger monsters seeing as we're at a higher level. You all ready?"

I got seven nods of affirmation and was just about to give the order to move out when I heard a scream from nearby. Someone or some people were in trouble! "You guys go! Raphtalia, Filo, with me!" At my command the group spilt: Ake's group made their way towards the main area of the village whilst the girls and I went towards the source of the scream. As we dashed around a corner onto a row of cottages, we saw a villager sprawled on the ground about to be taken down by a goblin. We moved to assist when out of nowhere two guards appeared and between them decapitated the creature. Once they had done so, one of them reached down to help the villager up.

"Are you okay to walk?" He asked the villager who nodded. "Then get out of here! Get towards the main entrance and keep going, you'll reach everyone else!" Needing no telling twice the villager scampered off as the guard turned to his fellow. "The evacuation is complete, it's time for us to go as well!" His fellow guard nodded but before they could move, one of the large hydra-like creatures appeared from behind them.

"LOOK OUT!" I yelled, accelerating into a sprint as I summoned my Shield of the First Avenger and, getting between the guards and the creature, held my Shield up as its head descended. The Shield took the force of the biting attack as the creature roared in annoyance. It reared it's head back to strike once more but at that moment Raphtalia attacked its flank with rapid sword slashes. This sent the creature stumbling to the side and right into the path of Filo, who landed quick strikes with her feet which were enough to defeat the creature.

"You two alright?" I asked the guards, turning to them as the creature fell.

"Thanks for the help! You saved our lives," one of them replied, relief evident in his voice.

"The battle's not over yet," I reminded them. "The main source of the fighting is happening in the main area of the village. Get over there and help, and if you see any of your fellows, get them over there as well!"

"Understood!" They saluted as one, taking off in that direction as fast as they could. I turned back to the girls, giving out my next orders: "That's where we're headed as well, but we'll take the long way round to mop up any of the remaining Monsters. Understood?"

"Understood Master Fergus!" "Okay!"

With this, we set off at a sprint, but the Wave's monsters weren't letting us off lightly. Not long, we ran into groups of Goblins, some Beastmen and even one or two Lizardmen. Yet we weren't going to be defeated so easily as we reverted back to our tried and tested strategy: Me going in front to tank the attacks as Raphtalia and Filo dashed around to flank them. I also assisted where I could with my Arm-Blade and some Air Strike Shields, saving my Shield-Axe in case it was needed against the Wave's boss.

Just as we were finishing off a group of Goblins, we were treated to the most extraordinary sight: A lone female holding off a group of Beastmen. Not just holding off, but actually defeating them with ease! As the last one fell, it's skull broken by a direct kick to the head, she suddenly noticed us staring with open mouths as we were still unable to believe what we had just witnessed. "Ah the Shield-Hero", she spoke up, bowing in our direction as she did so. "Thank you for your help, both in the past and today."

Wait a minute, I KNEW HER! But that was…impossible? And yet it was entirely real since I was seeing it right in front of my eyes! It was the old lady who I had healed last time I was here! I got over my shock quickly as I bowed in return, responding back with a hint of amusement in my voice: "I thought I told you to let your body recover before doing anything strenuous!"

"You sure did, but that potion you gave me did so much more than heal me! It made me feel like I did back in my adventuring days!" As she was speaking, a Goblin tried sneaking up to attack her from behind. I was about to call out a warning but I needn't have bothered as she spun and delivered another High Jump Kick, caving in the goblin's skull.

"Way to go old lady!" Filo cheered on whilst Raphtalia just continued to look on in awe before asking: "How is it that you are so strong?"

"Oh please, these are nothing!" The lady laughed out loud as she planted her foot on the goblin's skull. "I used to deal with much worse back in my adventuring days!"

"_That explains why she's so strong,_" I thought to myself. "_Once this is done I should come back here and get her to train us in some of those moves._" I then spoke up to her once more: "We aren't done yet. The main source of the fighting is in the village square. Can you keep going for a while?"

"You bet!" She replied. "Just give me a few moments to catch my breath and mop up the rest here. You carry on, they'll need you." I nodded in response as we took off once more, and before long we were in sight of the village square.

And it was pure chaos, scores of Beastmen, Goblins and a few Lizardmen were engaged in combat with the guards, some volunteers from the village as well as Ake and his group. That's when we decided to join in on the fun. Trusting the girls to take care of themselves, I focused on providing barriers in the form of Air Strike Shields for those soldiers who were struggling as well as taking attacks from those attacking me directly on my Shield, keeping them occupied long enough for one of my companions or a guard to finish them off.

Eventually, more guards as well as some more of the village's fighters, including the old lady, came to join us and slowly but surely we started pushing the monsters back. As I blocked a swipe from a Beastman's claws on my Shield whilst piercing a Goblin's throat with my Arm-Blade, I noticed with approval how Ake's group was getting along. They were currently engaging one of the hydra-like creatures. As I watched, the tank of Ake's group was keeping its attention, blocking its attacks with his shield whilst Ake and his fellow soldier were chipping away at its flanks. They, in turn, were being supported by their mage companions, one of whom was providing support with barriers and healing spells, whilst the other was bombarding the creature with fire spells. It was working, as the creature was slowly starting to fail.

I was so pre-occupied on watching this that I didn't notice a Goblin sneaking up from behind me, or the Beastman from before charging in to attack me again. Thankfully, other people did. Raphtalia dashed in and cut the Beastman to ribbons, and just as the Goblin let out a cry and raised its blade to strike my back, I spun around, only to see the Goblin's head get caved in by another High Jump Kick, the old lady smirking at me as she did so: "Keep your head in the game Shield-Hero!"

I gave her a thumbs-up in response whilst berating myself internally: "_Can't let myself get distracted like that, otherwise it'll get me killed!_" With that, I returned my focus on the foes in my immediate vicinity

It took us the best part of an hour or two, but eventually, all the Monsters were defeated. As the guards and villagers let out a cheer, I allowed myself a brief few seconds to recover before giving my next set of commands: "Okay everyone! Take this time to heal and mana up, I doubt this will be the last attack!" As everyone around me nodded and proceeded to do such, I looked over towards the borders of the village and further outward towards where I suspected the source of the Wave was.

The timer in the top fight of my Status Screen told me it had been three hours since the Wave had begun, and yet it showed no signs of abating. "_What's taking the others so long? They should surely have taken of things by now!_" I thought to myself. "_Unless…they are having trouble with it and they need help! Guess that's where I need to be._"

As if reading my thoughts, Ake ran up to me and saluted. "Shield-Hero! The village is secured, but the Wave is showing no signs of stopping. You need to head over there!"

"Are you sure you can look after things here?" I asked, to which I received several nods from Ake, his group and the old lady amongst others. I nodded in thanks.

"Good luck everyone! Raphtalia! Filo! We're leaving!" They quickly dashed over at my summons. Raphtalia and I clambered up on Filo, and once we were seated comfortably, Filo took off at a sprint towards the main body of the Wave.

§

Thanks to Filo's fast pace, we were able to make swift progress in the direction of where I hoped the source of the Wave was. As we broke through a forest line and headed towards a mountain range nearby, I looked about in all directions for anything out of the ordinary. "Master Fergus!" I heard Raphtalia cry out from behind me, looking behind me to see that she was pointing at something in front of us. "Look up!"

I did so and my eyes widened as from over the mountain range flew what looked to be a ruined pirate ship, complete with a broken hull, tattered masts and bits of wood falling from all sides of it. But this was no ordinary ruined pirate's ship, as protruding it from it were several snake-like heads bobbing from side to side, a skeleton figurehead, and circling around the masts and the ship itself were several winged creatures. As we watched, several of the winged creatures were struck down by a wave of arrows coming from not too far away, which was followed swiftly by another volley that struck the figurehead.

I had Filo dash over to where the arrows were coming from, seeing a group of people congregated at the base of one of the mountains. As we got in closer and we were able to tell the figures apart from one another, I let out a groan as I realised who one of the figures was.

Itsuki. Out of all the people I had to run into it would be him. Not just because I thought he was a complete dick, but also because I had only punched him the face mere hours ago, something which I highly doubted he was willing to forget.

Oh well, best to suck it up and get this over with. I needed to know what was going on. As Filo approached the group, I called out: "Itsuki!" As soon as he heard my voice, he instantly swung round in my direction, nocking an arrow and aiming it straight at my head.

Yeah, he was still pissed. But come on, was this really how it was going to go down? "Sir Itsuki, what are you doing?" Raphtalia gasped from behind me as I glared at the Bow Hero. "What the hell do you think you doing Itsuki?!"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put an arrow through your skull right now Fergus," Itsuki replied coldly, his bow not wavering an inch.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're currently in the middle of a Wave!" I yelled back. "Now is really not the time to be killing each other!"

"You decked me in the face!" Itsuki yelled back, still not backing down. "Did you really think you could escape reprisal for that you scumbag?"

"The only person acting like a scumbag right now is you!" I replied. "Everything I said was a fact and you deserved it!" This only caused him to draw his arrow back, preparing to fire. "_Okay wrong thing to say, I really need to try and talk him down before he actually goes through with it._" So I changed tack, narrowing my eyes at him. "Go on then Itsuki, risk the lives of everyone in Melromarc to satisfy your own petty grudge. You really want to flip that coin?"

"Sir Itsuki, please…" Raphtalia begged whilst Filo continued to growl at him. I could see the struggle on Itsuki's face as he wavered on what to do. "Come on Itsuki…" I growled under my breath. "Do the right thing for once…" Thankfully, Itsuki's sensible side won out as he turned his bow back to the ship, aiming and firing at the ship's figurehead again.

"Once this is over we'll settle our argument," I said to Itsuki before looking up at the ship. "Can you fill me in on what's going on out here?"

"I'm trying to draw out the Boss by firing at the figurehead," Itsuki explained rapidly. "But Ren and Motoyasu refused to listen when I told them, and went up onto the ship. Haven't heard a thing from them since."

Well since we didn't know exactly what was going to summon the Boss, it was a sound idea. But from the sounds of it, Ren and Motoyasu probably thought there was another requirement for it. "Alright then, I'll go and see what's going on with those idiots." As if responding to my unspoken orders, Filo crouched and then with a great leap took us up towards the ship, skirting the snake-like heads and the winged creatures as she did so

§

Eventually, Filo landed on one of the ship's masts and, after making sure she had a steady footing, myself and Raphtalia jumped off onto the rigging ourselves. Once we had perfected our balancing act we looked down at the situation below.

Motoyasu, Malty and the rest of his party were fending off one of the snake-like creatures I had seen from below on one side of the ship, only they weren't creatures according to it's name-plate, they were actually Krakken's tentacles. As I watched, Motoyasu ran in to stab it but the tentacle reared back, dodging the Spear-Hero's attack. At the same time, Ren and his party were currently engaged with what looked like a skeletal pirate, which showed up as a Skull Captain. As I turned my gaze to watch his progress, Ren decapitated the Skull Captain, and as it clattered to the ground his party let out a cheer, only for that cheer to die instantly when the Captain reformed itself instantaneously and swung it's sword at Ren, causing him to fall back. This coincided with the Krakken's tentacle attacking Motoyasu, causing him to dodge backwards which resulted in the Spear and Sword Hero ending up back to back.

I was just about to jump in and help the others out when I noticed what they did next. Instead of getting back into the fight, they instead turned around and started arguing with each other about which monster they should defeat first. "_Fucking idiots,_" I sighed internally, resisting the urge to facepalm as I turned to my companions who were watching me expectantly. "Let's make our dramatic entrance."

I took a deep breath and tried to get the right soundtrack to play in my head to make this (in my mind) more epic. Do you remember the main theme of the Avengers? Or if you are don't know the track itself, think of the song that plays after Hulk takes down the Chitauri Leviathan in New York, where the camera pans around all of the Avengers as they get ready for the fight. Yeah, that's the theme I had playing in my head as I leapt off the mast and did my best version of a superhero landing in between Ren and Motoyasu, before rising dramatically and looking around as Raphtalia and Filo landed beside me. Once they had, I switched off the theme in my head, looking around at everyone present.

Yeah, my entrance had got noticed! Sweet, I hoped it looked as cool as I thought it had been. I locked eyes with Ren, who gave me a silent nod in acknowledgement, before turning my gaze to Motoyasu, who looked none too pleased with my arrival. "Hey there everyone!" I called out. "Mind if we crash this party?"

"What the hell are you doing here Fergus? Don't you have some village to protect?!" Motoyasu snarled angrily.

"A weakling such as yourself has no business here, you'll just get in our way!" Malty added.

"The village I got transported to is safe and there are enough people there to defend it should more monsters appear," I reported, ignoring Malty's snide comment. "Once I made sure of that, I decided to make my way over here and give you some help. From the looks of it, I came here just in time." It was then my tone became angry. "Seriously, what the fuck are you guys doing? Instead of taking down the monsters, you're bitching with each other and wasting time! And the more time you waste, the higher chance more monsters will spawn and start attacking the villages again. So get your heads out of your asses and start taking this seriously, lives are on the line here!"

"You don't think I know that already?" Ren yelled back angrily. "That's what I'm trying to do here by taking down the Skull Captain! Once that's dead the Soul Eater will spawn!"

"You're wrong Ren!" Motoyasu shot back. "If we cut down the Krakken that's how we'll spawn the boss!"

As they continued to argue back and forth that their method was right, a Krakken's tentacle reared up from behind Motoyasu whilst at the same time the Skull Captain moved in to attack Ren. "LOOK OUT YOU IDIOTS!" I yelled, getting in between the tentacle and Motoyasu and blocking the attack with my Shield, whilst on the opposite side Raphtalia had used her blade to block the Skull Captain's attack. As we pushed the attacks back, I turned my head back to look angrily at the others: "Oh for fuck's sake can you two just stop your pissing contest for ONE MINUTE PLEASE!" Once we had stopped the attacks, I moved back in between the two Heroes, trusting Raphtalia and Filo to handle any more attacks whilst I spoke to them: "Right then, what have you both tried so far?"

"I've cut down the Skull Captain multiple times but it just keeps respawning," Ren explained. "Motoyasu's killed many of the tentacles, but more of them just keep coming." A look at the grimace on Motoyasu's face confirmed what Ren had said.

"Hmm," I pondered, trying to think of anything we might have missed. "Well, you guys are in luck. If what I'm thinking is correct, for once we can treat this as an encounter in one of our games."

"What are do you mean Fergus?" Ren asked quizzically.

"I don't know if you guys had to do the same thing in your games, but in my game, some bosses or monsters have certain mechanics that a group needs to figure out and counter in order to progress further in a fight," I explained. "In this case, there has to be something special about these two monsters that when we figure it out will spawn the boss. So we just need to look around and see if there's anything out of the ordinary. That will be the key."

At my words silence fell as everyone looked around the ship and at the monsters to try and spot something odd. For my part, I was examining the Skull Captain as it struck again, with Raphtalia blocking it once more. Nothing was wrong with its health bar, or shape, or the way it moved. So what was I missing? I looked down towards its feet and behind it. That's when I noticed the shape of its shadow, which did not have the same outline as the creature supposedly casting it.

"_Could that be the key?_" I thought to myself, figuring it best to give it a shot. Now, what would work best against a shadow? Well, that easy, light was always a good way to illuminate a shadow, and as luck would have it I had a proficient caster of Light magic in my party.

"Raphtalia!" I called out, causing her to look at me. "Cast a Light magic spell on the area around us, make sure you hit both of the shadows!"

"Are you sure Master?" She asked once, and I nodded in response. With this, she sheathed her sword and, closing her eyes, held her hands out in front of her as she started channelling Light magic in her hands. "First Light!" She cried, which caused the Light magic that had built up to explode outward, illuminating the deck all around us, causing the Shadows beneath the Skull Captain and the Krakken's tentacles to react, squirming about as though in great pain!

"_BINGO!" _"That's it! Raphtalia! Stab the shadow beneath the Skull Captain!" Without hesitation, she drew her sword and charged in, dodging a final swing from the skeleton as she stabbed her sword directly where it's shadow was, which caused a purple beam of light to rise up as the Skull Captain faded away. This was quickly followed by Ren, who saw what I was up to and ran over beneath the Krakken's tentacles, stabbing the shadow beneath them and causing more purple beams of light to shoot up and join the other one.

"Okay, we figured it out. So what now?" Motoyasu asked. As he finished speaking, we all heard a scuffle on the side of the ship and turned our weapons towards the source of the noise. However, we all relaxed when it just turned out to be Itsuki and his party and turned back to where the lights were convalescing into one spot above us.

"Now the boss is spawning. Get ready everyone." I replied, raising my Shield as Raphtalia got into a battle stance and Filo crouched ready to spring into action.

We didn't have long to wait as out of the mass of convalescing lights spawned our objective, a large ethereal beast with phantasmal skin, three eyes and purple flames surrounding it. My tool-tip now displayed a large red health-bar at the top, with the boss's name directly underneath: 'Dimensional Soul Eater'.

§

"So what's the new plan?" Motoyasu called as the boss leered down at us.

"We figure out its weakness and take it down as quickly as possible. Anyone got any ideas?" I asked.

"Most monsters and bosses have a weakness to a particular element. Maybe we should start there?" Itsuki spoke up.

"Already way ahead of you!" Ren called out, electricity already charging around his blade. "THUNDER SLASH!" With this, he charged in and struck at the boss with his charged blade.

Itsuki and Motoyasu weren't far behind. "THUNDERBOLT ARROW!" "LIGHTNING SPEAR!" They called out respectively, launching their attacks at the boss. Unfortunately, even though the attacks connected with the boss, it only took off a tiny chunk of the boss' health bar.

"That was a good idea Itsuki," I called out, trying to soften the blow of disappointment. "Looks like lightning's out of the picture though, so let's change things up a bit. Filo! Let's try some wind!"

"Okay!" Filo called out, charging up several gusts of wind that merged into one another. "Wind Tornado!" At this cry, the gusts of winds turned into a tornado as it struck at the Soul Eater. This time, a much bigger chunk, though it was a still a minimal chunk, of the boss' health bar was shaved off, which brought out a cheer from myself and Raphtalia.

"That's a good start!" I called out. "Let's keep it up!" As Filo prepared to let loose another Wind attack, the boss started charging up a large green ball of energy in its mouth. Judging from the size of the energy ball, it was going to hurt if it hit, and as such, I told Filo to stop the attack and prepare to take cover.

The other Heroes annoyingly had other ideas.

"Take it down before it can attack!" Ren yelled, and before I could call out a warning he and Motoyasu charged in, whilst Itsuki lined up another shot with his Bow.

"YOU IDIOTS!" I roared, not thinking twice as I dashed in front of them, placing myself in between the boss and the other Heroes, lifting my Shield up and casting an Air Strike Shield in front of it for an extra form of defence. Just as the Air Strike Shield materialised, the boss let fly with its attack. The energy ball impacted on the ethereal Shield causing it to shatter after completing negating the attack. However, the resulting explosion caused each of us to skid back a few feet, which compared to getting knocked off our feet was a much better outcome.

I, however, was pissed, having just witnessed more colossal acts of stupidity from my fellow Heroes. This was getting ridiculous, and I didn't hold back as I turned around and glared at them all. "YOU MOTHERFUCKING IMBECILES! ARE YOU BLIND OR STUPID?! Surely you're all aware that if a boss starts charging an attack, your first instinct is to find a way to block or avoid the damage, not charge stupidly and make yourself a nice big juicy target! If I hadn't blocked the attack, you all could have been seriously wounded, AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN YOUR OWN GOD-DAMNED FAULT!" I roared

Motoyasu snarled and looked as though he was about to yell back at me when Ren got in between us. "Fergus is right, we need to be more careful!" Motoyasu didn't look mollified by Ren's words but he at least held his tongue. With that argument settled, I turned my gaze to everyone else. Thankfully no-one else had got hit by the blow-back from the attack so they were okay. My blood was still up so my next words came out in another yell "Everyone who has a wind attack or spell, now's the time! Bombard that son of a bitch!" Filo needed no prompting, calling out that she was going in with High Quick kicks as she charged in and started striking the boss rapidly, varying up the angle of her attacks to keep the boss confused. This was followed by one of the mages in Motoyasu's party, who started casting wind spells of her own, and Motoyasu himself, albeit very reluctantly, who joined in with a few Turbulent Thrusts attacks. Raphtalia also decided to join in, mixing up Light spells and sword strikes to weaken the boss.

As the attacks hit, the boss's health bar was coming down. But it wasn't coming down fast enough for my liking. "_If this carries on the way it is, then more monsters will spawn and wreak havoc on the villages below us,_" I thought to myself with a frown, watching as the attacks continued to hit. As I finished my train of thought, Filo landed beside me, panting away heavily. "This guy's tough! We aren't hitting him hard enough!" She moaned a statement echoed by Raphtalia as she too returned to my side. "We have to keep going though so that we can keep everyone safe!" She responded

"I have an idea," I spoke up so that only they could hear. "It's risky, but it's the only thing we haven't tried yet."

The girls turned to look at me. "What are you talking about Master Fergus?" Raphtalia asked. I met her gaze with my own as I responded with three words I didn't want to say: "The Rage Shield."

Raphtalia's eyes widened as she realised what I was planning. "Are you sure Master Fergus? I don't want to lose you again!" She said in a panic.

"I'm sure," I responded with a nod, resigned to what I had to do. "Hopefully this time will be different since I'm calling on its power of my own free will. No matter what though, I am determined to control the power of my rage, rather than have it control me."

Raphtalia then took my right hand and, bringing it up to her lips, gave it a soft kiss, blushing furiously as she did so. "You won't be alone this time Master Fergus. I will be the anchor that will keep you grounded in the real world. I won't lose you again, not whilst I still draw breath."

I smiled at her. "Thank you Raphtalia, you're the only one I could trust to do it." With this, I turned to look at Filo who was also watching me with concern. "Filo, no matter what happens, can you keep Raphtalia safe for me?" I asked her.

"You count on me, Master Fergus!" She replied, injecting some her usual bravado into her words. I nodded in gratitude at her as I took a deep breath and strode forward, placing myself between the boss and everyone. "Ren. Motoyasu. Itsuki." I called out, addressing my fellow Heroes. "I'm sorry for what you are about to see, and advise you and all of your party members to keep back."

"Huh?! Just the what the hell do you think you are doing Fergus?!" Motoyasu responded indignantly.

"Are you insane?! You can't take that thing on solo!" Ren yelled.

I ignored them both, having already decided on my path. I felt Raphtalia's arm snake around my own once more as I took another deep breath before raising my Shield up in front of me, calling out in a loud voice; "I call upon thy power, SHIELD OF RAGE!"

And just like last time, I saw the memories of everything that had happened to me play out in my mind and felt my anger and annoyance at these events well up within me just like before. However, this time was different. I was ready this time, determined to not let it control me. As my anger spiked, I gritted my teeth and set myself firm for the fight to come. The fight for control of my soul.

And just like last time, everything around me faded to black.

§

"YOU!" An angry voice cried out from the gloom. I looked around in front of me, searching for the source of the voice.

"Whoever is there, show yourself!" As if summoned by my call, a dragon's head appeared right in front of me, completely consuming my field of view. But it wasn't just any dragon's head. This was the head of a dragon whose core now rested in my armour. One who I'd had to kill for the second time as a zombie.

It was the dragon Ren had killed. And it was pissed. "YOU WILL PAY!" At his words, flames surged all around me, the intent to char me to dust. But I stood my ground, willing myself not to shrink away, to not have the flames consume me. Amazingly, they didn't.

"You can't make me pay," I replied, realisation coming to me as the flames continued to dance around me, still causing me no pain. "You're dead, and thanks to me you'll be staying that way."

This only enraged the dragon's head as it roared in fury, getting right up in my face as I stood my ground, refusing to be intimidated. "YOU DARE THINK YOU CAN STOP ME FROM BEING FREE?!" It roared

"I can," I replied calmly. "And I will."

The dragon's flaming eyes roved around my body before piercing into the gloom behind me. As I turned my head to see where he was gazing, I could faintly make out the outline of the other three Heroes. I didn't need to ask where the dragon's gaze had gone as it's anger spiked again. "HIM! HE KILLED ME! I WILL MAKE HIM PAY!"

I turned my gaze back to the dragon's head, lifting my Shield up in so that it was between me and it. "I can't let you do that," I calmly responded.

"HE KILLED ME! HE MADE ME BECOME A ZOMBIE! AND NOW LOOK AT ME, NOTHING MORE THAN A FRAGMENT OF YOUR ARMOUR! I WILL NOT LET THIS HUMILIATION STAND!" It roared once more.

"You know, I actually agree with you," I responded, which must have surprised and confused the dragon as it's turned it's fiery gaze back to me. "I can't imagine what you must have gone through, and you didn't deserve your fate. If circumstances were different, I would let you have your way. However, Ren is one of the four Heroes needed to fight the Waves, so I cannot allow you to kill him."

"YOU WILL NOT DENY ME MY VENGEANCE! IF I CANNOT KILL HIM MYSELF, I WILL USE YOU TO DO IT FOR ME!" With this, the dragon's head and the flames it had summoned burned brighter and hotter, and I could feel a force tugging at my feelings of anger, willing them to become stronger so that they would consume me and allow my rage to control me.

That's when I understood. Since I now had the dragon's core embedded my armour, it was now the smallest part of me. And since I was calling upon the Shield of Rage, it had taken form as the embodiment of my anger. When anger manifests, it burns hotter than anything man can produce, and what creature symbolises rage, wrath and flames more than a dragon?

But I was determined this time. As the memories of my rage and anger flashed before me again, faster and much more vivid than before, I closed my eyes, willing to bring forth the happier times from my adventures. Memories of my friends and those who had helped me along the way. With Raphtalia's comforting arm around mine lending me strength, I was able to stand my ground, something which did not please the dragon.

"HOW?! HOW CAN YOU KEEP ME BACK?! I CAN FEEL YOUR ANGER, YOUR FRUSTRATIONS, YOUR ANNOYANCE, ALL OF YOUR RAGE AT EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU AND THOSE WHO CAUSED IT!"

"Yeah and I will admit, it's really hard to keep a lid on those feelings, especially when it just carries on day after day, building up more and more because of everyone's ignorance, stupidity and willingness to ruin my life," I replied. "But what gives me the strength to pull through are the things I am fighting for. I fight for all the innocent people in the world, so that they may continue to lead safe and happy lives! I fight for all the kind people I have met on my journey, and those who have helped me along the way!"

"_Erhard. Melty. Hickwaal. The owner of the Magic Shop, the tailor, everyone from Lute Village, Ake and his party. And yes, even Beloukas, even though he's a slave trader,_" I thought as I said this, each of their faces flying through my mind as I continued. "And most of all, I fight for Filo, my loyal companion who I raised from the day she hatched, and I fight for Raphtalia, my best friend, my Sword and the most important person in my life! THOSE are the reasons I fight, and it is they who are giving me the strength to keep you at bay!" I roared.

The dragon's face backed down, as though sensing the truth of my words. "You are strong, and thus I am unable to consume you. And yet at the same time, you cannot get rid of me. I am part of you, just like your anger is, and I will not be held back. My flames must burn, and if I cannot have the one who killed me, then WHOM?!"

"I cannot deny your nature," I acknowledged. "A dragon's fire must burn and consume. You need a target to vent our combined anger on, and I can give it to you. Seeing as you are part of me, I ask of you, the embodiment of my rage, to use your flames to unleash our wrath on my enemies!"

The dragon's head paused once more as if considering this. "Are these enemies of yours worthy of my power?"

I grinned sadistically. "Our foes are strong, and cannot be beaten by ordinary means. Will that suffice?"

The dragon's head actually laughed as it started to fade as I slipped back towards reality. Before I regained my senses, I heard it's final words: "My flames will burn these enemies of yours. It shall be interesting to see whether you can control them…"

§

And just like that, I snapped back to reality. From the looks of it, everything was just as it had been before it faded to black, only this time I could feel an immense power bubbling within my Shield, which had now taken on a much stronger form than the previous Shield of Rage, now showing it as the Shield of Wrath, as my armour also turned black and covered itself in dragon scales. My gaze went to my right side, where I saw Raphtalia watching me with concern, her arm still tightly wrapped around mine. As she met my gaze, her face broke into an expression of relief. "You came back to me…" She whispered, almost on the verge of tears.

I gave her a brief nod. "How long has it been?" I replied back equally as quietly.

"About half a minute," she replied. "_Felt much longer than that when I was in the Shield! Seems that the time flowed at different paces in each spot._" I thought to myself as she continued to watch me concernedly. "Are you sure you are okay?" She asked once more.

"I'm good," I responded shortly, lifting my head out from behind my new Shield as I turned my gaze on the Soul Eater, who was watching me with an empty gaze. I gave it a feral grin in response, feeling flames spring up around me from my Shield. Only this time they weren't out of control. They were at my beck and call now, waiting to be unleashed on my desired target.

"ALRIGHT THEN YOU PIECE OF SHIT! IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO BURN!" I roared out in a fearsome battle cry as I charged, my Shield continuing to spew out flames as I closed in on the Soul Eater. It moved to meet my attack but I struck first, impacting my Shield against its body, causing flames to ravage its entire form. The Soul Eater cried out in agony as it squirmed, trying desperately to put the flames out. From behind me, I was dimly aware of Filo letting out a fearsome cry of her own as her eyes turned red, her body now spewing flames as well as she unleashed her frenzied attacks on the Soul Eater.

This was it! This was the opportunity for the other Heroes and everyone else to strike whilst I had it distracted! Sadly, that situation would only occur if they were smart, because right now all I could hear, even as I continued to hold the Soul Eater at bay, was more bickering, and not just from the Heroes.

"Seems I was right all along." The smugness and superiority in that tone could only belong to Malty. "The Shield-Hero is nothing more than a wild beast. We should put him down at once!"

"You're wrong!" I heard Raphtalia's voice cry out in response, and I could only imagine the hate-filled gaze that she was most likely giving to Malty. "Unlike the previous times he has used this Shield, Master Fergus is in control. And it's because of you, all of you, that this Shield of his exists in the first place! All of the anger, all of the hate he holds because of your actions, do you realise what strength it takes for him to keep it under control in order to do what is right?! He has no love for any of you, in fact, there are some of you he hates with a passion, and yet he's using those feelings to defend you, risking his body, mind and soul so that no more lives will be lost!" She then sniffled, presumably wiping her eyes before she continued. "I wish, with all my heart, that I could be as strong as him, that I had the strength to help him, but you, all three of you, you have that power, and yet you do nothing with it! What kind of Heroes are you?!"

For a while, the only sounds that could be heard where the continued screams of the Soul Eater as I continued to push against it, as well as Filo's screams as she kept attacking. Despite all my focus being on the creature, I silently thanked Raphtalia for her faith in me.

"There is something we can do," Ren's voice spoke up and of a sudden, I heard footsteps from behind, presumably Ren coming in to join me if Motoyasu's next words were anything to go by: "What the hell are you doing?! Are you really going to help that bastard?"

"I hate the idea as much as you Motoyasu, but he is giving us an opening. We should make the most of it and end this Wave." Judging by the tone of voice and the sound of a bow being drawn, Itsuki was going to join the fray as well.

"Are you really going to help that criminal?" Malty complained. I had my answer as more footsteps rushed in to join me, as well as the sound of an arrow striking the Soul Eater as from the corner of my vision I saw Raphtalia, Ren, Motoyasu and Itsuki join Filo and myself in attacking the Soul Eater.

"_Seems like those incompetent Heroes are being helpful for once,_" the dragon chuckled in my head as we continued to chip away at the Soul Eater's health bar. It was going down, but still too slow for my liking.

"_Always a first time for everything,_" I replied as I continued to hold firm against the Soul Eater, the struggle to keep a lid on my flames getting tougher and tougher every minute. "_Haven't you got any more flames?! This thing isn't going down fast enough!_"

"_I'm giving you all I can!_"

"_Damnit, there has to be something else I can use!_" As my mind went through all the skills I had acquired so far, a series of icons appeared in my Status Menu, indicating a chain of skills I could use to activate a new skill called the Iron Maiden. "_I think I may have that 'something else'…_"

"EVERYONE GET BACK! I'M ENDING THIS!" I roared, and thankfully no-one second guessed my command as they all got out of the way, leaving me along with the Soul Eater. "SHIELD PRISON!" I called, and just like my duel with Motoyasu, a cage of shields appeared around the Soul Eater, trapping it inside. As it thrashed about wildly trying to escape, I activated the second skill: "SHIELD OF NEEDLES!" Again, just like it had during the duel, the inside of the prison produced an array of spikes, many of which hit home judging by the Soul Eater's cries of pain. With these two skills now in effect, a series of words appeared in my field of view, presumably the words required to activate the Iron Maiden.

As I started to speak it aloud, my voice became dark and sinister, the dragon's booming voice intertwined with mine as we spoke the following words:

"_Within this virgin of cold ore, we shall swallow even your screams with her embrace! Suffer in anguish as your entire body is stabbed and skewered! I cast the Iron Maiden_!"

At these words, the jewel in my Shield glowed as several bolts of lightning crashed down from the sky as a new shape appeared in the sky: an iron cage covered in spikes, atop of which sat a maiden's head which had glowing red eyes. I heard everyone gasp from behind me as we watched the cage open up, revealing even more spikes on the inside.

All of a sudden, the Shield Prison, still containing the trapped Soul Eater, rose into the sky, eventually coming to rest inside the belly of the Iron Maiden, which proceeded to close its doors upon it. I raised my left hand and clenched my fist, and just like that the doors of the Iron Maiden closed upon the Shield Prison, the maiden's eyes glowing even brighter as it did so. Only a few seconds after this, the Iron Maiden started to fade away, revealing the carcass of the Soul Eater, crushed to death within the confines of the Maiden. As we all watched, the Soul Eater's corpse drifted downwards, eventually falling out of our sight into a chasm below.

We'd done it. We'd beaten our second Wave, and the third one to hit this land.

§

I collapsed against the side of the ship as my new Shield and the armour that it had created faded, turning back into their base forms. At the same time, Filo flopped onto her belly, the red glow from her eyes fading as well as she looked around in a daze: "Wha-What just happened?"

I was about to go over and heal her when I noticed my mana bar was completely empty, presumably as a result of casting the Iron Maiden. I quickly fished out a couple of mana potions and gulped them down, and before long it was full once more. As I was doing so, Raphtalia came over and knelt down beside me. "Are you okay Master Fergus?"

I nodded, taking a few deep breaths in exhaustion. "I'm beat, but otherwise I'm okay," I replied, looking past her to see Filo's slumped form. "Come on, we'd better get over and see how Filo is." Raphtalia nodded and reached out a hand to help me up, which I took gratefully as went over to our feathered friend. Kneeling down beside her, I cast a few minor healing spells to get her back on her feet at least.

"Such power, and all that from his Shield?…" I heard Itsuki murmur as I finished healing Filo. I turned to look around at everyone as they gathered around us, and gave them all a relieved smile and a thumbs up. "We did it everyone, we beat back the Wave." I then turned my gaze to Motoyasu, getting to my feet as I did so, and added in a mocking tone: "So Motoyasu, the Shield's a weapon for losers right?" A throwback to our first night where Motoyasu had spoken those exact words.

Motoyasu gritted his teeth at me, annoyed at how his words were thrown back at him. "You're a cheater, you must be! There's no way you should have that kind of power!"

"_Oh for fuck's sake, that's where he's going now?!_" I thought irritably, just as I responded to him: "Typical gamer. When someone is stronger and more powerful than you, you instantly accuse him of cheating. For goodness sake, we just beat the Wave! Just take pride in the fact that you helped do that."

"Well next time will be different, I will be the one to defeat the Wave, just you watch!"

"Sounds like Spear Guy is a sore loser!" Motoyasu's eyes darted to Filo, who had turned back into her human form and was staring a hole through Motoyasu, looking completely unimpressed.

"N-No, not at all my dear Filo! I'm just saying, if I had really tried, I could easily have beaten that Boss. Yeah, that's it, I'm not being a sore loser at all!" Motoyasu stammered, face flushed at Filo's proximity to him.

Filo only huffed in response: "Oh yeah? Well, why weren't you trying to begin with?" A question to which Motoyasu could only stammer as a response.

"Wait a second, since when does our resident ladies man get so flustered around a little kid?" Ren asked with a hint of amusement in his tone and on his face.

"Haven't you heard? Turns out the legendary Spear-Hero has a fetish for small blonde haired girls. In fact, the first time he laid eyes on Filo, he instantly fell in love with her! His words, not mine." I responded, watching in amusement as Motoyasu continued to back up from Filo's constant questions.

"Wait, are you serious?" Itsuki asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Sure am. Even shouted it out loud for the whole capital to hear. By now I imagine everyone knows Motoyasu's little fantasy." Motoyasu looked mortified as everyone started chuckling at his expense, his panicked gaze turning to Malty who was glaring at him, arms folded and looking distinctly unimpressed.

I would have gladly carried on the roast of Motoyasu when all of a sudden I felt a surge of power in the vicinity, similar to the one given off by the Soul Eater. "Heads up guys, something isn't right!" I called out, seeing that everyone else had felt it too. As we turned around, we gasped in horror as another Soul Eater appeared from thin air.

"Not another one!" Itsuki exclaimed, notching an arrow to his bow. "Guess that settles it, nothing like this happens in a game," Ren grimaced as we all got ready to attack once more. Yet all of a sudden, the Soul Eater cried out in pain as what appeared to be a flurry of yellow spikes shot down from above, piercing it's back and killing it instantly.

"This whole show has been such a disappointment," a female voice cried out as a figure leapt down from the mast from above, generating a cloud of smoke upon their landing. As the smoke cleared, we were able to fully look upon the new arrival: a young woman with long ravenous hair, wearing a dark kimono, and wielding a pair of steel fans as she proceeded to look upon us with a bored expression.

"It took you so much effort to dispose of such a weak creature. Are you really the Heroes of legend who are meant to save this world?" She spoke up in a condescending tone, looking at all four of us individually with an almost disappointed look.

"_Her power must be off the charts if she was able to take that thing out in one attack,_" I thought to myself as the other Heroes and I could only grimace at her words. But the new arrival wasn't finished speaking yet: "There's only one among you who is worthy of the term 'Hero'," she said casually as her gaze turned to me. There was no mistaking who she meant when she said that. "Tell me, Hero, what is your name?"

I gazed directly into her dark eyes as I stepped forward and spoke up in a firm voice: "My name is Fergus Ward, and I am the Shield-Hero. Who exactly are you?"

"The Shield-Hero Fergus Ward hmm?" She responds, considering those words before responding. "All you need to know is that my name is Glass, and as of now I am your enemy. Prepare yourself Shield-Hero, for the true battle of this Wave, the only battle that matters, is about to start!"

With this, she whipped out her steel fans and assumed a battle position, which causes everyone on board to tense up as a strong wind started to pick up.

**That was a lot of fun to write, and I hope you enjoyed it! There are obviously one or two differences from how it went in the anime, which I will list below**

**1\. Fergus and Itsuki's confrontation - Did you honestly think Itsuki wouldn't remember Fergus decking him in the face, especially since it had happened only a few hours previously? Trust me, the tension between those two will only escalate, and will really come to a head during the Cal Mira Island and Spirit Turtle arcs, especially when Rishia starts getting involved.**

**2\. Fergus' 'epic' entrance - Just a little treat for me, as I would probably have done exactly that in that situation.**

**3\. Fergus tanking the Soul Eater's attack to save Motoyasu and Ren - Fergus might think the other Heroes are complete idiots, but he wasn't about to let them get hit if he had the power to stop it. That didn't save them from the verbal lashing they got afterwards though**

**4\. Fergus' confrontation with the dragon's soul - People are going to be divided on this, there'll be those who like this change, and others who think this is wrong and completely unrealistic. And both sides would have a point, but I didn't want this to go exactly as it did in the anime, so I thought, why not add a conversation between the two, which would end up with Fergus keeping a lid on his anger and frustrations for the time being, and thus have much better control over the Wrath Shield's flames? There will be more tests of Fergus' control over his anger in the future, depending on how much more people infuriate him.**

**5\. Filo's teasing of Motoyasu and everyone joining in - I just wanted to add this fun little tidbit to have everyone relieve some tension after the battle, and of course, Motoyasu and Filo's odd relationship was the perfect set-up for it. Now everyone knows about Motoyasu's weird fetishes. Oh dear.**

**Thank you again everyone for all of the support, for every follow, favourite and review, every single one is appreciated! In the next chapter, we will have the fight with Glass, and the aftermath of the Wave, including the long-awaited verbal showdown between Fergus and Aultcray. I HAVE WAITED SO LONG TO GET TO THAT POINT! I cannot wait to write it. But that will be for next time. Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will hopefully see you all in the next one!**


	17. Ch 15 - Enemies Within and Without

**The first thing I must do before I start the chapter is to give a shout out to my fellow author and reviewer on FF, zinmaster24. Through one of our discussions a while ago he helped me craft one of the scenes you will be seeing in this chapter and helped evolve it from tame to pure savage. I will discuss which one it is in the author's note at the end of the chapter. Also be sure to check out his story "From Soldier To Hero", an interesting fresh take on an OC becoming one of the four Heroes and which was just recently updated.**

**I can't believe we're almost at the end of the first season of Shield Hero (in terms of the sub), I'm sure there will be a season 2 but I will still miss it. Once Shield Hero and Attack on Titan both end their respective seasons in the next couple of weeks there'll be a large anime void in my life until the next part of SAO Alicization starts in October…might have to fill that void with more isekai anime or any other anime series that catches my fancy. I've already watched the Saga of Tanya the Evil, halfway through Konosuba! Season 2 and I'm caught up on Isekai Quartet. The next two after that will probably be Re:Zero and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Anime is my fix now!**

**Like I said last week I absolutely LOVED writing this chapter, I hope you enjoy it! In this chapter, we deal with Glass and then the aftermath of the Wave. As per usual, the mandatory disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 15 - Enemies Within and Without

"How can this one person have so much power?" Motoyasu asked everyone in the vicinity, as the wind picked up and the ship continued to rock as all four of us and our parties stared down our declared adversary.

"She's just showing off," Ren muttered as he raised his sword

"If that was her showing off, then I shudder to think what her true power is. It would be suicidal to try and fight her," I spoke up, even though I knew we had no other choice.

"So much power…I can't stop shaking I'm so nervous," Raphtalia said quietly, her voice and her whole body trembling.

"I don't think we can beat this lady…" Even Filo, who was usually so confident, was shaking in fear.

"I must say Shield-Hero, by recognising my power and realising how futile it would be to attack me, you and your companions are proving to be the smartest people here," Glass responded, almost bored as she looked around at the other Heroes and their party members who were all tensing up, spoiling for a fight. "But there will be no running from this fight, so why don't you send in those servants of yours to attack me first? I could use a good warm-up."

"Those 'servants' you're referring to may be a bunch of stubborn idiots, but only the stupid and suicidal would try and attack an opponent that is clearly stronger than they are," I replied, hoping the others would catch my meaning

But they didn't, as once more the other Heroes found a way to outdo themselves in terms of their stupidity.

"How dare you treat us like jokes!" Ren yelled, fury all over his face, an expression matched by the others.

"To think you would dare call us inferior to Fergus…" Motoyasu growled.

"You will pay for your insults!" Itsuki yelled.

"Didn't you hear me, you idiots?! It's suicidal to attack her!" But my warnings were ignored by all three of them, and one part of me couldn't blame them. Their blood was up and they felt completely disrespected. Still, this was total suicide, to rush in blindly after witnessing her power…

As I watched, their party members surrounded Glass, whose expression and posture did not change, as the other Heroes charged up their attacks:

"METEOR SLASH!" "METEOR THRUST!" "METEOR SHOT!" They cried as they let loose with their attacks. Glass didn't even attempt to avoid them as they closed in and, as I had feared would happen, she shrugged off the attacks like they were nothing, much to everyone's shock.

"Is that all you're capable of? Such weaklings." Glass scoffed as she charged up an attack of her own. "Zero Stance Rondo: Reverse Four Seasons!" She cried, and with several quick swipes of her fans blasted the other Heroes and their parties off their feet. Most of them were thrown against the sides of the ship, rendering them unconscious, whilst the three Heroes were sent sprawling directly at my feet. Throughout all of this, I had remained impassive and unmoving, content to watch things unfold and gauge Glass' power.

"As I said, you are only mere servants," Glass said as she lowered her arms back to her sides, still looking completely fresh. Meanwhile, the three Heroes were struggling to drag themselves up, completely winded by Glass' attack. "H-How is that even possible…" Itsuki grimaced.

"Because as always, you three are incapable of reasonable thought," I spoke up, cutting across Glass who looked as though she'd been about to respond. "You saw what she was capable of, and yet you charged in recklessly anyway. In my opinion, you three got what you deserved." As I was speaking, I made a point of deliberately stepping over the sprawled forms of the others. "Now that you've learned your lesson, get yourselves out of here. I'll handle this."

"I must congratulate you again Fergus, you really are proving to be the smartest of all the Heroes," Glass complimented as the three Heroes and their party members picked themselves up and, by one means or another, got off the ship. "That being said, I hope you can at least give me more entertainment than your fellows did."

"I'm not normally one for party-tricks, but if you ask politely, I'm sure I can arrange a demonstration."

"Please, I insist."

"Well then, since the lady asked so nicely, how could I refuse her?" With that, I rapidly cast Shield Prison. But as the familiar cage of shields surrounded Glass, they were just as easily shattered with one wave of her fans, just as I suspected would happen. After seeing how easily she shrugged it off, Raphtalia clutched her sword tightly and Filo growled as they prepare to attack Glass themselves.

"Stay back you two, you're no match for her!" I called out, turning my head around to look at them squarely to make sure they understood what I was saying. They did back down at this, but before I turned my head back around I gave Raphtalia a wink. She caught my meaning and, using my body as cover, cloaked herself with illusion magic.

"Was that it? I hope I didn't over-estimate your powers Shield-Hero," Glass remarked with amusement.

I smirked in response, making sure to keep my eyes fixed firmly on Glass so as not to betray Raphtalia's movements. "Not at all. If it pleases you, I have a small menagerie who should provide you with some entertainment." With those words, I called out my Viper Chimera Shield and used the Snake Bite ability. The snakes latched onto Glass' skin and bit deep, but once more she was unmoved. So I called the snakes back and switched Shields once more, calling out my Two-Headed Black Dog Shield and commanded the heads to use their own Bite attack. And yet once again they proved to be completely ineffective.

"Surely you didn't think those would work?" Glass asked, sounding almost bored.

"I had a feeling they wouldn't, but you did ask for a show and so I gave you one. What's more, they also served as a good distraction." As soon as I finished speaking, Raphtalia uncloaked herself from behind Glass, swinging her sword down towards her back. And yet somehow Glass was able to sense her coming, using one of her fans to block the strike before proceeding to shatter Raphtalia's blade with a single swipe of the same fan, much to Raphtalia's dismay and my shock. "_Dang it, I really thought that could work!_"

"A useless attack, barely worthy of praise," Glass muttered as she raised her fans once more. Fearing an attack, I called for the girls to get behind me. My hunch proved to be correct as she cast the same spell she had used against the other Heroes: Reverse Four Seasons. Unlike the previous time it had been used though, I was prepared. "SHIELD PRISON!" I yelled, the cage of shields springing up around myself and the girls just as the attack struck. The Prison did its job in blocking the attack but shattered as a result.

"Your defence is impressive," Glass commented, her stoic expression fading a little as if surprised at how I'd been able to block her attack. "But surely there is more you can do. When are you going to bring out that flaming shield of yours?"

"_Well seeing as all of my other trump cards have been dealt with, guess I have no other choice._" I looked over at Raphtalia, who gave me a nod in return as if to say she had faith in me to control it once again. "Well if you are so insistent, I might as well. I CALL UPON THY POWER, WRATH SHIELD!" At my yell, my Shield once again changed, this time into the newly-minted Wrath Shield as flames sprung up around me once again whilst my armour again became covered in black dragon scales. This also had the same effect on Filo as it did before, her eyes glowing blood red as without warning she let out a fierce scream and aimed a kick at Glass, who nonchalantly brushed the attack aside once again.

"You can't touch me," she intoned as with another swipe of her fan she sent Filo flying into the bow of the ship.

"FILO!" Both Raphtalia and I cried as Filo's body sprawled on the ground completely immobile. I grit my teeth, realising I would have to fight her one-on-one to give Filo time to recover. "Raphtalia! Go check on Filo, I'll keep her busy!" Without waiting for Raphtalia's affirmative reply, I charged in, catching Glass' attention as I clashed my Shield with her fans, flames spewing around the both of us all the while.

Yet even the flames of the Wrath Shield weren't enough to affect Glass, who with another burst of power sent me skidding back several feet. "Your flames are too cold, Shield-Hero. Surely that's not all you are capable of."

"_She's just toying with me!_" I thought angrily. "_And the worst thing is there isn't a damn thing I can do about it!_" I took a few deep breaths and was just about to rush in again when she beat me to the punch, morphing one of her fans into a purple energy sword before calling out another attack: "Rupture Stance Rondo: Tortoise Shell Cracker!" At her command a sharp purple beam of light shot out from the sword, aiming directly for my right shoulder. Even though I was able to get my Shield up to block the full force of the blow, the resulting impact caused several of the scales on my armour to chip and break off. "_Shit!_"

"Even that attack wasn't enough to bring you down," she murmured, once more a hint of surprise crossing her face. "It seems I was mistaken about the strength of your defensive power, it truly is worthy of the Shield-Hero."

"I'm glad I could impress you," I growled back through gritted teeth, my early joviality being replaced by rising frustration. "But flattery will get you nowhere, and I am done playing games. With your power, you could easily finish me off any time you wanted." I heard Raphtalia gasp from nearby at my words but ignored her as I continued. "And yet you continue to toy with me. What's your end game here?"

"How perceptive of you," Glass replied back with amusement. "You truly are an interesting phenomenon. You are correct of course, I could finish you off whenever it pleased me. But I want to see everything you can do. After all, those flames of yours only activate in close quarter combat, yet leave you at a massive disadvantage when there is a gap between you and your opponent. You must have a spell or technique to compensate for this weakness. And I want you to show me what you are truly capable of!"

"_She knows about the Iron Maiden!_" I thought to myself, startled. "_But since it's my only trump card left, I guess I have no choice._" "I have one more trick to show you then. But I'm warning you now, you will regret asking to see it!" With this, I held my Shield in front of me once more: "SHIELD PRISON!" Once more the Shield Prison sprung up around Glass, who this time made no move to shatter it. "ACTIVATE SKILL: IRON MAIDEN!" Just like it had with the Soul Eater, the Shield Prison rose into the sky as the Iron Maiden descended, opening its doors. And just like before, the Shield Prison came to rest in the confines of the Iron Maiden, which upon a clench of my left fist closed its doors upon the Shield Prison.

I watched on with bated breath, hoping against hope that that had done the trick. Sadly, but unsurprisingly given what had been going on just now, it hadn't.

"How disappointing…" With these words, the Iron Maiden shattered, revealing a completely unaffected Glass as she slowly descended back onto the deck of the ship. "And here I was hoping that that attack would be more potent."

"_That was all I had left,_" I thought to myself despairingly. "_Well, I guess this is the-Huh?_" My eyes caught a glimpse of something in the top right of my Status Menu, a timer that was counting down. As I watched, the countdown reached a minute and then continued to count down. "_Wait a second, could this mean Glass is on a timer, just like the Wave?_" My thoughts were interrupted by the ship suddenly swaying from side to side, causing both myself and Glass to focus our efforts on maintaining our balance.

"Damn, it seems my timer is almost up," Glass muttered. "_Called it!_". "Well Shield-Hero, I would like to thank you for obliging me with a demonstration of your skills. But I am afraid that the end of our duel is upon us and with it our victory. Nothing personal Shield-Hero, but I must dispose of you…"

As she had been monologuing, I had quickly waved Raphtalia and rapidly explained what I wanted her to do, to which she nodded just as rapidly. As Glass finished her monologue, I made sure to stand up straight as I flung my arms out rather dramatically. "I am so glad you enjoyed the show. But I am afraid for the time being the performance is over, and with that, we must take our leave. NOW!"

"First Light!" Raphtalia cried, her hands held out. Just like before, a bright light illuminated the area around us, causing Glass to shrink away instinctively. Taking advantage of the distraction, Raphtalia and I quickly ran over to Filo as I aimed some fast Heal spells at our downed companion. This got Filo to her feet as we arrived and clambered aboard. "FILO! GET US OUT OF HERE!" I yelled.

Needing no more urging, Filo took a running leap off the side of the ship, controlling her descent so that we landed safely on the land below before taking off in the opposite direction of the ship as quickly as her legs would take her. However, we weren't out of danger just yet.

"Master! She's attacking us from distance!" At Raphtalia's cry, I quickly leapt behind her, doing my best to maintain my balance as Filo nimbly dodged the incoming fire. "AIR STRIKE SHIELD!" I cried, forming the ethereal shield in front of me as more attacks flew in. Thankfully, the Shield held out until all of a sudden the attacks ceased, and slowly but surely the sky returned to normal. "_Guess her timer ran out, thank goodness,_" I noted with relief.

As we continued our escape, I took a seat behind Raphtalia and for the first time since the Wave had started allowed myself to relax. Yet I couldn't shake an uneasy feeling I was getting about Glass, that this wouldn't be the last time we would fight her.

If that was the case, we'd have to get stronger in order to stand any chance against her.

§

Before long we arrived back at the very same village we had defended when the Wave had started to find a crowd of people waiting for us, jumping up and down and cheering in relief. As we arrived, people started swarming us, thanking us profusely for stopping the Wave. All three of us gratefully received their thanks, but my heart wasn't really in it and my mind was elsewhere. That's why I quickly made my excuses to be elsewhere, telling the girls to rest up as I split off from them. I just needed to be alone for the time being.

As I wandered aimlessly around the outskirts of town, making sure to replace my Arm-Blade gauntlet with my regular one, I saw a familiar shape lying on the ground not too far away. Curious, I went over and discovered to my surprise the corpse of the Soul Eater that I had killed. Man, that seemed so long ago now considering everything that had just happened.

"_The King told us that the Waves were meant to be world-ending calamities, and that was one of the few times where he seemed to be telling us the truth, yet Glass said that the only fight that mattered in the Wave was the fight between me and her. Does that mean everything else, like the minions and the Soul Eater, were inconsequential?_" I pondered to myself, using my Shield to absorb the Soul Eater's corpse, acquiring the Soul-Eater Shield in the process. "_That just raises more questions about the true nature of the Waves. Are they really meant to just be these world-ending calamities, or is there more of a purpose to them?_"

My thoughts then turned to Glass. "_She was cordial if a bit arrogant, more so than an enemy would normally be. She said that she had to dispose of me and the others, as though it was crucial to whatever her purpose is. Does she control the Waves, or is she perhaps part of an unknown force that directs the Waves? And those weapons of hers, they seem to be capable of vast amounts of power, just like our Legendary Weapons. A variant? Or something else entirely?_"

All of these were questions I hoped would be answered later down the line. As of now, we had more pressing concerns. The timer for the next Wave was already counting down, and now that I knew enemies like Glass could appear without warning, it was imperative that I and the girls get stronger. Which would mean having to acquire Class Upgrades. Now that the Wave had been dealt with, it was time for us to leave Melromarc behind. Once we had recovered, we would retrieve our cart from the capital, stock up and hit the road.

"Shield-Hero!" A voice cried out from nearby, and as I turned to the source of the shout I saw Ake running over. As soon as he reached me, he started panting, hands on his knees as he recovered from his exertions. "Is everything okay Ake?" I asked once he had got his breath back.

Ake looked at me with conflicting emotions, as if debating whether or not to tell me exactly what had happened, before deciding against it as he pointed back to the village. "It's probably best if you come and deal with it yourself."

"_Hmm, must be major then._" I thought, motioning for Ake to lead on as I followed behind. Once in the village, Ake led me to the village square and wandered over to a waiting figure. As their features came into view, I let out an audible groan, which caused the person waiting for us to turn his face towards me, scowling as he met my eyes.

Of all the people I wanted to deal with right now, he was one of the last people on my list: the same Captain who I had butted heads with in Lute Village both during and after the Wave, and Ake's former commanding officer. Speaking of Ake, I turned to look at him with a frown, asking: "What the hell is this bastard doing here?" Ake could only shrug in response.

"Shield-Hero," the captain growled, really trying his best to make the words 'Shield-Hero' sound like the rudest curse possible. "You are hereby ordered to return to the Capital and report to King Aultcray regarding the events of the Wave!"

"_Why the hell does that bastard want to summon me to report on the events of the Wave when he could just so easily ask one of the other Heroes?!_" I thought irritably as I marched up and got in the Captain's face, looking down on him with a death glare which caused him to start quaking in fear. "_Someone must have blabbed about what happened on the ship, and he must want answers from me about my new Shield. That's the only explanation that makes sense!_" "Tell me something you piece of shit," I growled, causing the Captain to back up in fright. "Why the fuck should I do that? You're a semi-intelligent man, you know how much the King and I can't stand each other, and surely you know how much I can't stand you. And so I ask again, why should I listen to what you say?"

The Captain looked as though he could piss himself in fright, but thankfully for him, he was saved by Ake. "Shield-Hero!" Ake spoke up passionately, facing me as he did so. "I know how bad things are between you and His Majesty, but I think you should go along to at least hear what he has to say." I hesitated at his words, which only gave him the encouragement to plough on. "Even if you don't want to do it, please do it as a favour for myself and the others who helped you fight the Wave."

"_Damn that was low!_" I thought to myself, but Ake had a point. He and his party didn't have to fight the Wave with me, but they chose to do so anyway, so he must have figured I owed him for that and was cashing it in. I sighed, my decision made, and turned back to the Captain, who still looked as though he was about to piss himself. "Very well then," I said through gritted teeth. "In consideration of Ake's personal appeal, I will return to the Capital and speak to His Majesty. Run along now and make sure he knows of my coming." The Captain needed no further urging, running back to the stables as fast as his legs could take him. Ake turned to me and gave me a thumbs up before running off to find the other members of his party.

I sighed irritably, not liking the change to our plans. "_Guess I'd better find the girls and let them know._" I was able to find them not too long after, both of them chatting away happily with several of the villagers. I waved them over and, leading them somewhere private, explained what Ake had wanted with me and what I was about to go and do, which drew instant concern from Raphtalia. "Are you sure it's safe for you to go?"

I nodded in response. "He can't kill me, he even said that himself during my trial. But I won't take any risks when it comes to the two of you, which is why I am going alone." This drew complaints from them both as they understandably didn't want to be apart from me for any length of time, but I was able to reassure them to the point where they agreed to my plan. I sighed in relief before giving them one final instruction: "Once you are done here, make your way back to the capital and head to Erhard's place. Start stocking up on supplies for our trip, and once I am done I will come and help you."

Both of the girls nodded before they made to head off back to chatting with the villagers. However, I waved for Raphtalia to wait a moment, which drew a curious glance from her. I knelt down and reached into my pack, pulling out a small something which I handed over to her, whispering quietly in her ear as I did so. She gave me another curious look but nodded, and so I sat down whilst she moved behind me.

It didn't take her long to accomplish what I asked of her. I had passed a band for Raphtalia and asked her to pull the back of my hair up, put it into an organised bunch and tie it up. This resulted in me now sporting a ponytail where the long mane I'd had there previously used to be (think what Eren Yeager does to his hair at the end of chapter 106 of the Attack on Titan manga). "How does it look?" I asked Raphtalia as we got to our feet.

"I-It suits you Master Fergus," Raphtalia stammered, unable to control her blushing, which only got worse as I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek in gratitude, just as I knew it would. I chuckled at this as I wrapped her in a warm hug. "I'll see you soon okay?" I murmured, the only response I got was a nod into my shoulder.

As I pulled away and gave her one last reassuring smile before I turned and left, I was reminded of our conversation before the Wave, and how that hadn't been resolved because of Filo's interruption. I knew sooner or later Raphtalia would bring it up again.

"_I'll deal with that when it comes up,_" I thought grimly to myself as I wandered over to the stables to borrow a horse. "_For now, game face on. It's time to deal with a King._"

§

"_Seriously, why the hell am I here again?_" This was about the tenth time I had thought that to myself ever since I'd arrived at the palace. Turns out I was expected since a group of guards hadn't left my side ever since I'd got there. This was even more apparent in the throne room, where even more guards were present, no doubt to protect the King from the 'villainous' Shield-Hero. There was no need for protection at the moment though as everyone's attention was on a crystal ball that was playing in front of the King, showing the events that had happened whilst we were on the ship during the Wave.

"_Hmm, turns out you can record things in this world too, and they don't even need a camera! Must require a powerful magic-caster to use._" I theorised as we got to the part where I had summoned the Iron Maiden, resulting in the demise of the Soul-Eater. It turned out to be the last bit recorded as the images then faded. No-one spoke for a while, pondering what they had just witnessed. I, on the other hand, just watched and waited silently, waiting to be addressed, and again wondering what the hell I was even doing here.

The King eventually spoke up, albeit reluctantly: "As much as it sickens me to say it, I suppose I have to congratulate you on successfully repelling the Wave Shield-Hero."

"_Wait a minute, is he seriously congratulating me? Pigs have flown!_" I mockingly cupped a hand to my ear as I responded: "I'm sorry, did I hear that right? Are you actually congratulating me for something? Dang, I wished I'd brought a crystal ball of my own, I could've recorded it and listened to it over and over again, since I highly doubt it will happen a second time." Upon seeing the glare slowly forming on the King's face at my words, I decided to drop the jesting for now and continued in a formal tone: "I mean, I was merely just fulfilling my role as one of the four Cardinal Heroes, Your Majesty. Speaking of whom, they do deserve some of the credit, since I wouldn't have able to vanquish the Wave without their aid."

A flick of surprise came across the King's face at my response. "That's quite surprising to hear from you Shield-Hero, given your recent run-ins with Sir Motoyasu and Sir Itsuki."

"_So he heard about those? Ah well, can't be helped._" "It is no secret I have issues with both the Spear-Hero and the Bow-Hero, but we were able to put aside our animosity and fight together to defeat the Wave. Speaking of the other Heroes, why didn't you ask one of them to report back on the Wave? Everyone knows you and I can't stand each other, so why would you willingly invite me into your palace given those circumstances?"

The King leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands together as he addressed me once more: "I demand to know how you acquired the power you displayed during your fight with that creature. As the Shield-Hero you are undeserving of wielding such strength."

"_Ah, here it is, another attempt to belittle me. Just as I suspected._" I thought with a sigh before responding: "If I really was as undeserving as you say I am, I wouldn't have been able to acquire such power. And yet I have, so I must be doing something right."

This caused Aultcray to lose some of his cool. "As the King of Melromarc, I demand to know where you got such power. And I want the truth, so no more of your lies!" He shouted, pointing a dramatic finger at me as he spoke.

"You're really demanding this of me?" I asked. "Let me ask you something 'Your Majesty'…why the hell should I tell you? In fact, why the hell should I give in to any of your demands? You haven't done anything to help me at all ever since I was summoned to this world. In fact, all you have ever done is make my life a living hell, even before I'd actually done anything!"

Everyone looked furious at my words, but I didn't care, and I wasn't done talking. "Don't think I have forgotten, because I have a VERY. LONG. MEMORY: All of those encounters in the throne room, where you ignored and interrupted me every time I spoke. Spreading false rumours to demonize me in the eyes of the public, knowing full well I hadn't done anything to deserve such a reputation. Threatening to take away my rightful funds as well as my companions. And your most recent slight, blocking myself and my party-members from receiving Class Upgrades. By all rights, I should demand your head as a suitable punishment, but I won't because I grudgingly, very grudgingly I will add, respect your position not only as the King but as Melty's father. But beyond that, I don't owe you a damned thing! So I ask once more, why the hell should I tell you anything?"

"YOU INSOLENT CUR!" The King roared, losing all composure. "You are nothing more than a brutish thug, a criminal and a slaver who delights in raping women! The only reason I haven't had your head chopped off is that you are unfortunately one of the Four Heroes. Now I order you to start acting like your title and tell me the secrets of how you acquired your power! It is your duty, not only to the kingdom that summoned you but to its people as well!"

If there hadn't been a line in the sand beforehand, there was one now! The King had said to my face that he wanted me dead and would have got his way if I hadn't been one of the four Heroes. That washed away any thoughts of me holding back on what I said. Now I could go full throttle!

And something he'd just said had really caught my attention. "Duty to the people you say?" I said quietly. "Surely you've heard the reports of what I've been up to since we last spoke? Well in case you haven't, let me educate you. I've been travelling all around the country, curing your countrymen who were stricken by illness or starvation, and generally making their lives just that little bit better."

I let that sink in before speaking up once more. "And telling me to start acting like a Hero? Maybe you should be telling that to the other three Heroes, who not only have been slacking in their roles but have each been responsible for a catastrophe that would have gotten out of control if I hadn't stepped in to clean up their mess!"

This got a reaction from everyone present who gasped at that revelation. Time to really tighten the screw in. "Oh, you haven't heard about those? Well, allow me to tell you some tales! Let me see…who should we start with…okay then, we'll start with the Sword-Hero, Ren. Did you hear about how he slew a dragon? An impressive feat to be sure, but he neglected to dispose of the corpse properly. As a result, the dragon's corpse decomposed, and the rotten flesh produced a plague that infected everyone in the nearby village, resulting in several of the villagers dying before I got there. Thankfully, I was able to cure the plague, but only after I had to fight the dragon's corpse which had reanimated itself and nearly losing my companions in the process."

Once more, I allowed a few seconds to allow everyone to process this. "Now let's move on to the Bow-Hero, Itsuki, who led a revolution to depose the King in the country to the North, was this on your orders perhaps Aultcray? It wouldn't surprise me, but that's getting off track. You'll be pleased to know he succeeded, however he failed to install a new ruler in his place and instead just left, leaving the country in the hands of his revolutionaries, who not only hit the citizens with worse taxes than the previous regime but who also used that money to hire outlaws to kill anyone who spoke out against them! This forced their citizens to flee to the bordering countries, Melromarc amongst them, bringing with them famine and disease that would have spread here if, again, I hadn't been on hand to cure and feed them!"

"Lies! Nothing but-!"

"I wasn't done!" I cut across the King's spluttering. "I'm just getting to the good part, the one concerning your favourite hero and future son-in-law Motoyasu, as well as your bitch of a daughter! They ignored warnings about a cursed seed which they then planted in a town that was suffering from a famine. This seed sprouted mutated plant-monsters that overran the village, infected some of the townspeople and would have spread across the country if, once again, I hadn't been on hand to clean it up! So in conclusion, Aultcray, it would seem that I have done more good in my role as a Hero than any of your other precious Heroes have done between them, and yet you are content to praise their deeds whilst ignoring and belittling my own. If it hadn't been for me, many of your citizens would have died!"

"YOU INSOLENT WHELP!" The King roared once more. "How dare you belittle my daughter and the other Heroes with your foul tongue. All of your deeds are lies, nothing but lies and slander that you have concocted to try and escape your crimes! NOW FOR THE LAST TIME, I command you to tell me the secrets of your power!"

"ARE YOU STUPID OR JUST A SENILE OLD FOOL?!" Now it was my turn to explode, unable to control my annoyance with him any longer. "You flat out said to my face that you wanted me dead, and yet you still think I would tell you anything! Fine, you want to know so bad?! Then here's what you have to do!"

With these words, I pointed downwards at the ground at my feet. "If you want to know the secrets of my power so badly, then come down here, get on your hands and knees, crawl up to my feet like the dog you are and kiss my boots! And as you are doing so, you will admit what a senile old fool you have been, AND YOU WILL APOLOGISE TO ME FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE! NOT JUST TO ME, BUT TO RAPHTALIA, FILO AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO HAS SUFFERED FOR YOUR PETTY VENGEANCE! YOU WILL APOLOGISE, AND YOU WILL MEAN IT!"

That was the last straw for Aultcray. "GUARDS! SURROUND AND KILL THE SHIELD-HERO!" At his command, the guards all drew their swords as they surrounded me in a large circle. In response, I switched up to my Shield of the First Avenger and beckoned to them, but not without giving them one final warning: "I will admit I lied about one thing: You remember when I said the other Heroes helped me defeat the Wave? Truthfully, they were no help at all. In fact, all they did was get in my way whilst I defeated the Soul-Eater by myself. Now that you all know this, do you really think any of you weaklings have a chance against me? By all means, go ahead and try, but I am telling you right now: You will regret it!"

This piece of information did cause the guards to back off a little as they came to terms with it. "Good decision. We're done here," I stated with finality before turning on my heel and marching towards the throne room doors.

However, the King just couldn't help himself: "I may not be able to punish you for your crimes Shield-Hero, but I will make sure your slaves suffer in your place."

"_YOU. FUCKING. PIECE. OF. SHIT!_" "DISCUS THROW!" I roared, and my Shield of the First Avenger flew off my arm at lightning speed towards the King, lodging itself in the throne barely a few centimetres above Aultcray's head. This elicited a gasp from everyone present as I slowly turned my head to look at the King, who upon seeing my face startled trembling in fear. For I was staring at the King with a full-on death glare that reflected all the anger and hatred I felt at that moment.

"Let me make one thing very clear you piece of trash," I said very quietly, but still loud enough for everyone to hear, my voice trembling in rage. "If you even think about coming after my friends, if you or anyone here even dare to lay so much as a finger on them, I swear on my life that I will kill the person responsible in the most excruciatingly painful way possible. And when I am done with that, I will come after you Aultcray, and I will take great pleasure in tearing you and your slutty bitch of a daughter to bloody chunks and feeding those chunks to the pigs! I will never, EVER allow you to take anything from me EVER AGAIN!" With these words, I recalled my Shield and, leaving everyone there trembling, made to open the door and take my leave.

"Stay away from my Melty you monster!" The King yelled frantically

My only response to these words was to turn and look at him once more, snort and leave, making sure to slam the door behind me.

§

"_JESUS! That was intense!_" I thought to myself, taking a few moments to calm myself the instant I had left the throne room. In hindsight, some of what I'd just said back there weren't the wisest things to say, but he had pushed me over the edge by threatening Raphtalia and Filo. And besides, every word in there I had meant. This was now a full-on war between myself and Aultcray, and I had to prepare myself for his next move.

I then resumed my departure from the palace, and just as I descended the stairs towards the main doors, I saw a lady clad in a red dress approach from the opposite direction. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, she passed by me, and as she did so she spoke up: "You're doing a wonderful job Shield-Hero, I must say!"

"_Huh?_" I turned my head to look at the lady, who had stopped but didn't look my way as she continued. "Your exploits have become impossible to ignore to the people here, including certain powers who aren't taking too kindly to your interference." As she said this, she held out a pendant, depicting the Spear, Sword and Bow all crossed over one another, a symbol which I remembered seeing a lot of during my last visit to the Church. "Virtuous on the surface, but conniving and conspiring behind the scenes. You should exercise the utmost caution in the days to come." With this, she left, all the while not turning her head to meet my gaze.

So as not to arouse suspicion, I resumed my own journey without speaking a word, but my mind was already buzzing away due to her words. "_There was no doubt about it, she was talking about the Church and the people in charge of it. It seems they are about to make their move. I should be extremely cautious should I ever run into anyone associated with them from now on_."

§

Once I left the palace I made my directly over to Erhard's shop in order to reunite with the girls, but as I approached, I saw they weren't the only ones about. Erhard, as well as Ake and his group, were gathered around the back of the store, chatting away animatedly with the girls. It was Filo who first noticed me approaching, and with an excited cry of "MASTER!" she ran up and hugged me, followed swiftly by Raphtalia. After greeting the girls, I turned to Ake who had made his way over as well.

"Thank you for allowing us to fight alongside you Shield-Hero, it was a true honour," he spoke up, saluting as he did so. "Now that the fight is over, it's time for us to return home. I hope we can all meet again."

"I'm sure we will," I replied with a smile as I shook Ake's hand, as well as the hands of his party members. "Thank you for your aid, and I wish you well until our next meeting." With these words, Ake's group saluted one more time, a salute I returned before they turned and left.

"How did your meeting with the King go?" Raphtalia asked as we all waved them off.

"About as bad as you could expect," I sighed in response. "Lots of shouting, insults tossed around and threats made. I think I may have unintentionally made an enemy for life."

Raphtalia looked over at me with concern whilst Erhard couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Gotta say, kid, you are a bold one, picking a fight with the King of Melromarc of all people!"

"Hey, he started this fight! Besides, he crossed the line when he threatened my girls!" I protested, which only led to more chuckles from Erhard and gasps of astonishments from both Raphtalia and Filo. "He really did that?" Raphtalia asked worriedly.

"Let that nasty King come after us, I'd kick his butt!" Filo proclaimed fiercely.

"He sure did," I responded to Raphtalia's question, before putting a hand on each of the girl's shoulders. "Remember what I promised you though, I will protect you both with everything I have, and I will not let any harm come to you." This got me another hug around the middle from Filo as Raphtalia blushed once more, but there was still a warm smile there.

"Master! We've got the cart ready for our trip! Come and look!" Filo exclaimed suddenly, pulling on my hand and tugging me along to where our cart was parked up. And sure enough, as I looked inside the cart was well stocked with food, potions, materials and everything we would need for our trip. "You girls did a great job!" I exclaimed in amazement. "But how did you get it all done so fast? I didn't take that long in the palace!"

"That's because I gave them a hand," Erhard spoke from behind me. "Your friends filled me in on what had happened regarding your Class Upgrades and how you'd be going to another country to acquire them. So I decided to give them a hand and make sure you had everything you are sure to need."

I turned around and took Erhard's hand in mine, giving it a vigorous shake. "I appreciate the help Erhard, I really do. So thank you, and if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to ask for your advice on where we should go." With this, I pulled out a map that Beloukas had given me and laid it on a nearby crafting table. "I was told we should either head to Siltvelt or Shieldfreeden since they both treat humans well, but which would you recommend out of those two?" I asked, pointing at each on the map.

"Hmm," Erhard pondered, looking between both countries. "If it was up to me personally, I'd head to Shieldfreeden. Their bunch are a bit less rowdy than the folks over in Siltvelt, so you should get a warmer welcome. Besides, you can probably get there faster."

"YAY! We're heading on our trip, trip, TRIP!" Filo yelled from behind us, jumping up and down excitedly in the process. We all turned around and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Well with your Filolial's enthusiasm, you'll probably get there even faster," Erhard noted with a wry grin.

"Well then with that settled, I guess we'd better get on our way," I said, rolling up my map as I did so.

"Just one more thing before you go, kid," Erhard said as he made his way over to the back of the cart, pulling out a small bundle. "I made sure to add in a few gifts to help you on your way. Now let me see…Ah yes, for you Fergus." He handed me a small spherical object from the pile. "This is an accessory for your Shield which will let you scan any other Shields you come across, giving you a quick run-down of their powers and abilities."

"_Sweet, this will give me foreknowledge of what future Shields I pick up can do!_" I thought to myself as I clipped the accessory to my Shield as Erhard turned to Raphtalia, handing her two sheathed blades. "For you Raphtalia, two swords. The first one is a replacement for your original, same design and made with the same materials. After all, there is nothing that beats a trusty old friend." Raphtalia's eyes lit up as she drew the aforementioned blade, looking it over with an expression of glee. "As for your second one, that's a special blade. It's purely magical, best used against any incorporeal enemies you come across." This became apparent as Raphtalia drew the second blade, only to discover it was nothing but a hilt. She looked at me with confusion, which I responded with a shrug. I'm sure we would discover how it worked in time.

"What about me?!" Filo pouted, which drew another chuckle from Erhard. "Don't worry little miss, I haven't forgotten about you. Should you ever find yourself stuck in your human form in the middle of a fight, these should give you an edge." With these words, he handed over a pair of gloves which fitted snugly on Filo's hands, which she looked over with childish glee. "These gloves will boost your attack power, which should be enough to put all but the strongest enemies flat on their ass in one punch."

"Erhard…" I spoke up, unsure how I could ever convey my full gratitude. "You didn't have to do all of this for us, but thank you all the same. We will treasure them and use them well, you have our word." With this, we all bowed respectfully in the blacksmith's direction. "We will return soon, I promise."

"No need for your thanks kid, " Erhard replied, waving them off. "Just make sure you look after yourselves you hear me? And best of luck on your travels." With these final words, Raphtalia and I shook his hand one more time. Filo, however, ran up and gave the blacksmith an enthusiastic hug before transforming into her Filolial form. We quickly hitched her up to the wagon and, with Erhard waving us off, set off on our journey

§

In no time at all, we had exited the Capital and hit the road at top speed, mostly due to Filo's enthusiasm and eagerness to be off. I was holding the cart's reins whilst Raphtalia was examining her new weapons.

"Mister Erhard is so nice isn't he Master? Getting us all of this new equipment and helping us prepare for our trip," Raphtalia remarked.

I nodded in agreement. "Out of all the allies we have made, he's been the best and most reliable by far, and I'm going to miss him. But we're off to new horizons now! You excited Raphtalia?"

"I really am! I'm looking forward to visiting another country, seeing new places and meeting new people, but most of all I'm excited to be doing it with the best friends I could ever have asked for," she replied warmly, leaning her head on my shoulder as she did so.

I know I probably shouldn't be giving her false hope by allowing her to rest her head there, but right now, in this very moment, I was just too happy to mind, so I let her have it. "_Ever since I arrived in this world, I've really gained a love for travelling,_" I thought to myself with content. "_I love being around nature, and it keeps us away from the royalty and the other Heroes. And best of all, the outside has no rules, no restrictions, it's just so free. This is going to be a fun couple of weeks._"

Eventually, evening came around on our first day of travel, and since I was happy with the progress we made, I decided we would stop and camp for the night. We found a sheltered area of trees to put the cart and set about preparing a meal. Since we had to make our food supplies count until we reached the next village, I decided on a small yet filling meal. Just as I was about to start cooking however, we all suddenly heard a commotion from the road behind us.

Looking over, we all saw a carriage heading our way. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but what was disconcerting, at least to me, was the number of guards surrounding it. Had the King sent an envoy to bring us back? I muttered for the girls to be ready for trouble, but what we heard next put us at ease slightly.

"Aha! Found you!" That voice was unmistakable, as was the flash of blue hair that popped out from the side of the carriage. It was none other than our old friend Melty.

"MEL!" Filo cried out excitedly, jumping up and down and waving to catch her friend's attention. I really should have discouraged her from doing so but she was happy, so I didn't mind too much. Besides, we all got along well with Melty so it would be good to see her again. As the carriage drew up a short distance from us, Melty stepped down, dressed in the same aqua dress we had seen her in last time, and made her way over to us, but not before getting swamped in an excited hug from Filo. As the two friends shared a happy reunion, I couldn't help but smile.

The smile didn't last long though as Melty, after dis-tangling herself from Filo's grip, strode over to me with purpose. Guess she wanted that chat I promised her before she left us last time. "Good to see you Melty," I spoke up warmly. "Hope you've been keeping well. I imagine you are here to have that chat I promised you?"

Melty wasted no time on pleasantries, getting right down to business: "Shield-Hero, I demand that you return with me to the capital and speak to my father once more."

"_Ah shit, not this again, and I can only imagine she's had a chat with daddy dearest herself,_" I thought to myself bitterly as I matched her determined gaze with my own. "I'm sorry Melty, but once again I must refuse."

This was obviously not the answer Melty wanted or was expecting as she seemed startled by my reply, but she immediately recomposed herself and tried a different tactic. "I am afraid I must insist! I want you to apologise to my Father for your conduct and reconcile."

"APOLOGISE?! To him?!" I almost shouted, struggling to keep a lid on my temper due to the outrageousness of the demand. "I have nothing to apologise for! I was more than reasonable during our last chat. If anything he has to be the one to apologise for not only threatening my life but also the lives of Raphtalia and Filo. And since we know that's NEVER going to happen, my answer is still no."

Melty's lips pursed, looking as though she was going to burst into anger herself, but she managed to keep her frustration under control for the time being. "_She and I are similar,_" I thought to myself as I watched. "_We both find it difficult to keep our frustration under wraps in the face of overwhelming stupidity._"

"Please Fergus, I'm begging you not to leave us!" She pleaded. "We need you to fight the Waves, and besides, without my father's financial assistance, you'd be nowhere. Surely you can't deny that!"

"Actually I can," I responded with a small chuckle. "Surely you heard and saw how well I've been doing for myself in terms of money as a travelling merchant, all of which I did without any help from the King…"

"Master!" Raphtalia hissed, leaning in to whisper in my ear before I could hammer the point home. "Surely you're being a bit unreasonable?"

"Unreasonable?! If anything I'm being the reasonable one here!" I hissed back. "You know how bad the King and I get along, it'd be nothing but a disaster if I tried to talk to him again."

"WHY ARE YOU ALL BEING SO STUBBORN?!" Melty cried, her frustrations having boiled over into a full-blown temper tantrum. "A Hero and the King shouldn't be fighting like this! Please, come back with me and make peace with my Father, otherwise, Mother will come back and start yelling at him!"

I couldn't take any more of this. I didn't want to lash out at Melty but I couldn't help myself. "GOOD! THEN FINALLY HE MIGHT START SEEING SOME SENSE!" I yelled. This caused Melty to not only stop her tantrum but also burst into tears, which in turn caused Raphtalia and Filo to look at me disapprovingly. There was no mistaking what they wanted from me.

"_Ah, shit that was way too far. She didn't deserve that._" I knelt down and put my hand under Melty's chin, causing her to lift her head and look at me, eyes swimming with tears. "I'm sorry Melty," I apologised softly. "I didn't mean to yell, and especially not at you. The anger and frustration I'm feeling are not directed at you in any way. If anything, I admire your good heart and determination to make things right, but not even that is going to fix what's happened. I'm sorry, but that's the honest truth."

Melty wiped her eyes with her sleeve at my words before regaining her determined poise and glare. "Thank you, Fergus, but I must insist that you really listen to what I have to say-!" She carried on talking but I tuned her out, my eyes having noticed something going on behind her. As I had apologised to Melty, one of the guards accompanying her had pulled out a recording crystal and was holding it in his hands.

"_Why on earth are they recording this?_" I pondered, before an uneasy feeling jolted through my whole body. "_This uneasy feeling, it's the same one I felt when I found out I had been accused of rape, where I concluded that I was being set up. But why am I feeling it now…_" As these thoughts were going through my head, one of the guards suddenly drew his blade and started charging towards us, his gaze fixed firmly on Melty's back.

"_OH SHIT!_" I screamed internally, eyes widening in horror as I saw his intentions postage-stamped all over his face. Wasting no time, I got to my feet and, pulling Melty into me with my left hand, raised my right arm and used my Shield to block the sword strike, which caused Raphtalia, Filo and Melty to gasp in astonishment.

"_I was right! This was a damn set-up!_" I thought angrily to myself as I held the blade back.

**Another chapter complete! Are we really at 15 already? Feels like forever ago since I uploaded the first one! I hope you all enjoyed. Once again I will list some of the changes I made. This time there weren't very much, and I will just focus on two of the main scenes to explain them as well as one or two minor things:**

**1) The fight with Glass - Fergus did try to warn the other Heroes not to attack but they were too bull-headed and got really mad when Glass called them servants. Even Fergus and I completely understand why they wouldn't take those insults lying down. And having seen Glass' strength, Fergus would make sure Raphtalia and Filo stayed out of the fight as much as possible in order to keep them safe, apart from when Fergus distracted Glass to let Raphtalia sneak around and attack Glass from behind, or when Filo went into berserk mode due to the effects of the Rage Shield.**

**2) Fergus now has a ponytail - His hair was getting a bit long, and since Eren is the protagonist from my favourite anime I wanted to pay a bit of homage in terms of a changing of hairstyle. Just a little indulgence for me once more.**

**3) The confrontation between Fergus and Aultcray - Ever since I saw this scene in the anime, I KNEW I wanted this to be a lot more savage in this story, and it wouldn't have come out so well if it hadn't been for my discussions with zinmaster24. He really gave this scene life so I have to give him so much credit for it! Pretty much exactly how I wanted this to go, and especially the last part where Fergus snaps after Aultcray threatens his companions. If you remember a previous author's note, I explained that Fergus is very protective of his friends and those he cares about and would do anything for them, so woe betide anyone who so much as lays a finger on his girls. Don't expect Fergus and Aultcray's relationship to ever recover, not even to cordial levels! And I added in the Discus Throw just to back up that threat**

**4) Fergus and Melty's shouting match - These days it doesn't take much to set Fergus off. He was a lot more patient at the start of this story, but as it's gone on and the stupidity and actions of his enemies keep on piling up, his temper has gotten shorter and shorter. It sucks he lost his temper with Melty, but after the confrontation with Aultcray, he was never ever going to agree to another conversation, and Melty's stubbornness in trying to make that happen was just a bit too much for Fergus.**

**Thank you again for giving this story a favourite, follow and review, really appreciate all of the love and support this story has generated. I was thinking of ending this story after Fergus gets his name cleared, but I might extend it to coincide with the final episodes of season one, so yup we'll be getting the Scythe Boy from the second opening in this story!**

**Next time, Fergus and company are on the run! Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you in the next one!**


	18. Ch 16 - How Low Can You Go?

**(Note to self: Save after writing up author's notes, otherwise you have to write it again. Also note to self, Grammarly really screwed me over by taking out all my italics)**

**Can't believe we are almost finished with Rising of the Shield Hero! Just one episode to go for subs, three if you are a dub only watcher. I'm going to miss it but I am confident there will be a Season 2 in due time.**

**Also this past week I've been thinking of more ideas to put into this story, and I think I am almost there. That will mean a few more Shields and some other things so watch this space!**

**Thank you all once again for every review, favourite and follow, very much appreciated! In this chapter, Fergus and his crew are on the run. Will they be able to escape? Also, mandatory disclaimer that ****I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 16 - How Low Can You Go?

_Wasting no time, I got to my feet and, pulling Melty into me with my left hand, raised my right arm and used my Shield to block the sword strike, which caused Raphtalia, Filo and Melty to gasp in astonishment._

_"I was right! This was a damn set-up!" I thought angrily to myself as I held the blade back._

§

"What the hell are you doing?! You just tried to kill the Princess!" I yelled at the guard, keeping his blade held back.

"How dare you try and abduct Princess Melty!" The guard yelled back, his words spouted almost fanatically.

"_So that's the angle they're going with, explains the crystal ball._" "I'm not trying to kidnap her you moron! In fact, I'm saving her life from you!"

"LIAR!" As he was saying this I managed to push him back, but this only caused him to lift his sword up, rallying the other guards to action: "Comrades, justice is on our side! Attack the Devil of the Shield and rescue the Princess!" At this cry, the other guards drew their swords and closed in to surround us.

Whilst this was going on, I quickly assessed the situation. No matter what happened here, they were going to add another 'crime' to my name, so all I could do was figure out how to get out of this mess in the best way possible. The simplest solution would be to kill them, but that would add the crime of murder which would be impossible to dispute. However, surrendering Melty wasn't an option, given the attempt on her life. Just as I was reaching a decision, Filo transformed into her Filolial form and was growling at the approaching soldiers, no doubt pissed beyond belief. "Master…" she growled. "Let me have my way with them for trying to kill Mel!"

"Now's not the time to act rashly Filo!" I retorted back.

"What are we going to do Master?" Raphtalia ask worriedly, drawing her blade.

"We need to leave, but in order to do that, we need the guards out of the way. But I don't want to kill them. So we'll do the next best thing," I responded, switching up to my Shield of the First Avenger. "We'll aim for knocking them out. I'll take the lead, my Shield is best suited for it. Raphtalia, focus on defence, but if you see an opportunity to use the hilt of your blade to knock one out, do it. Filo, your priority is to keep Melty safe. If a guard engages you, do not use your magic or your talons to keep them back. Use any other means you can. Understood?"

"RIGHT!" With this plan we made, the battle was joined as the guards came at us. We all backed up to one side of the cart, making sure to keep that behind us so that the guards couldn't surround us, which meant that guards could only attack us from the front and, due to the lack of space provided, only a few of them could attack the group, so despite their advantage in numbers, we were able to keep them from overwhelming us. I focused on blocking attacks with my Shield, and when the opportunity arose I would knock a guard's blade aside and ram my Shield into their face which was often good enough for a knock-out blow at the first time of asking, although some of the hardier soldiers took multiple blows.

As I was doing so, Raphtalia was focusing on blocking attacks and prioritising keeping the guards away from Filo and Melty, who had taken refuge in a bundle of Filo's feathers. However, she was able to seize one or two opportunities to use her hilt to knock some of the guards out. This strategy was proving very effective, and soon enough we were surrounded by lots of unconscious bodies and only two guards left standing, one of whom was fighting us and the one who was recording the whole thing. I was just about to order Raphtalia to handle the guard with the crystal ball but the last remaining soldier, as if anticipating my intent, came at me with a frenzied strike accompanied by an even more frenzied yell: "You will face justice for killing my comrades Devil!"

"And you were doing such a good job of framing me idiot, but now you've ruined it!" I retorted back. "Your guards are unconscious, not dead. Fortunately for you, you won't be joining them yet. NOW!" With this, I pushed the soldier back, directly into a trailing leg from Raphtalia which caused the soldier to sprawl to the ground.

I then quickly looked around for the last guard, the one with the crystal ball, but there was no sign of him. "_Shit he must have legged it!_" I cursed to myself as I dragged the last guard up by his neck and slammed him against the side of the cart, holding him there firmly as Raphtalia aimed the tip of her blade at his neck. "Start talking," I snarled. "Why did you try and kill the Second Princess?"

All I got from him was a spit to the side as he turned his head with a huff, which was my cue to slam him once more against the side of the cart and start applying pressure on his neck. "START! TALKING!"

"I have…nothing to say to you…Devil of the Shield…" the guard spluttered as best he could. I sighed, knowing these kinds of fanatics would gladly die before letting any of their secrets out. However, I still got a great amount of satisfaction from punching him across the face once more, which sent him collapsing to the ground. And as he fell, something detached itself from his belt and clattered to the ground, which Raphtalia quickly swooped in and gathered up. As she held it out to me, I instantly recognised what it was:

The same pendant I had seen all over the church, and the exact same one the lady in the palace had shown me earlier. "This rosary is from the Three Heroes' Church," Raphtalia quickly explained. "It's an order that venerates the Sword, Spear and Bow Hero and worships them as deities, and is currently the state religion of Melromarc."

"Well from that explanation, and what the guards were shouting earlier, we can logically assume this Order views the Shield-Hero as the Devil itself," I followed up with a grimace. "On top of everyone else, a new group has emerged wanting me dead as well, and if they've got guards amongst their followers they must have a great amount of power and influence…"

"You will pay for disturbing the natural order of things, Devil!" This came from the guard I had just interrogated, who annoyingly hadn't been knocked out by my first punch. Thankfully a swift second punch was enough to put his lights out.

After dumping the unconscious soldier next to his fellows, Raphtalia and I went over to check on Filo and Melty. Filo was trying her best to comfort the princess, but it didn't seem to be working as Melty was still in shock and in tears, obviously still in shock at being attacked by her own guards.

"Mel…" I said in my softest voice possible as I knelt in front of her and did my best to wipe her tears. "Are you hurt at all?" She shook her head at my question, which was a massive relief. I then turned to the others, my expression and words grim. "We need to move, and move fast. No doubt word will quickly reach the capital of what just happened here, which will then result in a story being spread that we abducted Melty. We need to put as much distance between us and the capital as we possibly can."

This drew a nod from the girls as Raphtalia took Melty's hand to lead her into the carriage whilst I hitched up Filo to the reins, I had no way of knowing that it was going to be worse than what I thought would happen.

§

In my world, it was commonplace for the narrative of a story to be altered to suit the agenda of those bankrolling the media companies, and whenever that happened you would only ever see the side they are putting out. To find the other side of the story you would have to do some digging to find media sources dedicated to the facts, and as well as being few and far between, they are often discredited by the major media companies calling them every insult under the sun to ensure they will not be taken seriously in the future.

Turns out in Melromarc, even though the times are way different, it's the exact same operation. In fact, it could be argued that it's worse due to the application of magic in the editing process, where you can alter a scene so that it suits your agenda perfectly.

And it's what I was currently experiencing as I was watching the 'recording' of what had happened between my group and the soldiers from within a large crowd of people in a small town. In anticipation of my name getting dragged through the mud even more on top of what was already being spread about me, I was wrapped in a muddy brown cloak, a spare from our supplies, that completely obscured my facial features, and made extra sure that my Shield was hidden from view. And so it was from underneath the hood that I saw what had been changed. They had changed mine and Raphtalia's facial expressions to look more sinister, our mouths were made to look as though we were laughing as we fended off the soldiers, and when it came to us knocking out the knights, they had added in blood to make their injuries look far worse than just knocking them unconscious, fuelling the narrative of them being the heroes of this scene.

The damage wasn't limited to just the edited recordings, however, as I looked to the side at the town notice board. In pride of place were large wanted posters of myself, Raphtalia and Filo, our faces looking comically demonic as though a preschooler had drawn them. And yet it was working, from all around me I could hear mutterings about the Devil of the Shield and how horrific it was that he had kidnapped the princess. Hearing all of this was more than enough for me, and so very discreetly I detached myself from the mob and sneaked out of the town.

It wasn't too far of a trek to where we had stashed the cart this evening, a secluded area of forest surrounded on all sides by giant trees which were useful in keeping the cart concealed. As I approached, I saw a faint glow which could only mean Melty and Filo had started a fire in our absence, and as I entered the clearing I made sure to uncloak myself so as to not startle the girls. Filo waved happily as she saw me arrive, whereas Melty just continued to look just as forlorn and discontent as she had constantly been this past day. I was just in the process of swapping out my cloak for my regular one when another faint rustle came from nearby. As I turned towards the sound I relaxed when I saw it was only Raphtalia as she dispelled her illusion magic.

"How bad is it?" I asked her as I reattached my cloak.

"Very bad, there are guards swarming the checkpoints, and the wanted signs with our pictures on it are impossible to miss. There's no chance of us getting through them," Raphtalia replied disconsolately as she proceeded to shed her own cloak.

"It's equally as bad on my end," I said with a sigh. "As well as the wanted posters and extra guards, they've really butchered the recording to make us look like monsters. I'm going to be safe and assume that will be the case in every nearby town, which means we can't go to any of them as we travel."

The direness of our situation really affected the mood by the camp-fire as Raphtalia and I sat opposite the girls. Ever since we had made camp Filo hadn't left Melty's side, offering as much comfort as she could whilst Raphtalia and I were on our scouting mission. Silence prevailed as each of us was left to our own thoughts on how we could escape from this mess.

It was Filo who ended up asking the million-dollar question: "What are we going to do now?"

I decided the best way to try and figure out a solution was to lay out all of the facts we currently knew, which is what I proceeded to do: "We now know there is an organisation called the Three Heroes' Church, and from what Raphtalia told me, it is logical to assume that they see me, the Shield, as their version of the Devil. I was also vaguely warned by someone in the palace that they would probably be making their move when I last went there. The guard I interrogated was carrying a rosary belonging to the Three Heroes' Church, and so it is not too much of a stretch to imagine they were all carrying one. But what's missing is their motive. Why would they try and kill the Princess? The Church doesn't seem like the type of organisation that would try and overthrow the government, which means the next logical conclusion, at least from where I'm standing, is that someone from the palace, perhaps in collusion with the Church, ordered those guards to kill Melty and have the Shield-Hero framed for it. Since Melty was the target, and the Queen is absent, that narrows down my suspects to either King Aultcray or Princess Malty."

"My Father would never do such a thing!" This passionate cry came from Melty, who had swiftly gotten to her feet and was looking at me defiantly, her past sorrows forgotten for the moment. "Father has his faults, but the most important thing he cherishes above all else is family, and I know he would never do this, not even to get back at you, Fergus!"

I considered Melty's words and ended up agreeing with her. "During my most recent spat with the King, the last words he said to me were to stay away from his Melty. Despite the fact I absolutely despise the man, I have no reason to doubt that those words were completely genuine. For those reasons, Melty, I agree with you. However, this doesn't mean he isn't in league with the Three Heroes' Church, for his denouncement of me as a criminal would line up well with their belief that I am the Devil. But I don't believe he would sacrifice his daughter to fuel that narrative. As such, that leaves only one suspect: Malty."

"Fergus, I hate Malty as much as you do," Raphtalia protested. "But surely she wouldn't want to kill her own sister, no matter how much of a horrible person she is?"

"I want to believe you Raphtalia, but given our interactions with her so far, nothing would surprise me about her any more," I responded grimly. "But if anyone knows her best, it would be her own sister. So let's ask her." With these words, I got up and, walking over to where Melty was sitting back down after her earlier passionate speech and, kneeling before her, put a reassuring hand on her knee.

"Melty," I said gently, causing her to look at me, half curiously and half in fear of what I might say. "I'm sorry to ask this of you but you know your sister better than all of us. Do you believe she would try and kill you?"

Understandably she hesitated before giving her answer, but the nod was clear to see, which drew gasps from Raphtalia and Filo. I, however, wasn't surprised, and so I pressed on: "Melty, why do you believe she would kill you?"

She tried and failed to hold back her tears as she responded. "Because…Because she's always resented the fact that Mother named me Crown Princess instead of her…and I've overheard her plotting to herself about becoming Crown Princess again…by any means necessary!" With that said she fully burst into tears as Filo wrapped her arms around her, holding her in a tight hug as I lowered my head, disgusted by what I just heard. "_Damn that bitch! And just as I was thinking she couldn't sink any lower! But conspiring with the Church? And plotting to kill your own flesh and blood? That's unforgivable!_"

"I'm-I'm sorry Fergus, Filo, and also you Raphtalia, that you have to see me like this. I just never wanted things to end up this way!" Melty spoke up, interrupting my thoughts as she wiped her eyes once more. "The King shouldn't be plotting to kill one of the Heroes, nor should a Princess be wanting to kill her own sister! Mother wanted me to put things right, but I've only made things worse! Maybe if I try and speak with Father again he would listen!"

I shook my head at this. "I'm sorry but that would be a mistake. Your own guards tried to kill you after all, who knows how many of the other guards could be in on it as well. If you go back, someone will kill you, either a guard or your own sister, and then they will frame me for it. I think it's for the best if you stay with us for now."

"A-Are you sure?" Melty asked hesitantly, which was followed by another squeeze from Filo who proceeded to respond. "Please stay with us Mel, you'll be safe with us! And I know my Master would look after you and make sure you are okay!"

"Filo's right Princess," Raphtalia spoke up, using Melty's title as a gesture of formality. "You are our friend, and we'll do anything to keep you safe. And I know Master Fergus will make sure of that. After all, he's never allowed any harm to come to me and Filo as long as he could help it."

This caused Melty's eyes to turn to me, as though she wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth. And I wasn't about to let her down. I genuinely liked and respected Melty, as did Raphtalia, and of course Filo absolutely adored her, so there was no hint of a lie in my next words: "Princess Melty, if you travel with and stay amongst us, I promise you, on my honour as one of the Four Cardinal Heroes and on my life, that I will keep you safe and protect you from anyone who would try to hurt or kill you. You have my word."

Melty did look a bit taken aback at this sudden show of chivalry from myself, but upon looking from my determined gaze to Raphtalia's smile and then to Filo's pleading expression, her face softened and replied in the formal language I had used. "Very well then Shield-Hero, I, Crown Princess Melty Melromarc, accept your pledge and will travel in your company. Although I must insist you call me Melty or Mel at all times."

This drew a laugh from each of us, and I was just about to swing the conversation back on track when my ears picked up a faint hubbub in the distance. Catching Raphtalia's eye I motioned for her to follow me and for the others to keep quiet, and with that, we peeked through the edge of our campsite and spotted faint lights heading in our direction, which could only mean one thing: Soldiers carrying torches, no doubt hunting for us. Upon seeing this, I made a quick decision.

"Time for us to leave," I muttered to Raphtalia as we withdrew back to the campsite. Making sure I had everyone's attention I announced my plan: "We're going to have to move I'm afraid, there are soldiers closing in our position. Since we are unable to go through towns or checkpoints, we're going to have abandon the cart here." This predictably drew a moan from Filo which I proceeded to ignore as I continued. "Filo, Melty, use this short amount of time we have to get some rest. Raphtalia, you and I are going to put together a few bags of supplies. Keep them as light as possible, and prioritise food, water, potions, camping supplies and one or two other essentials you think we'll need. Once we're packed, we'll wake you two up and head out. I'm afraid we'll be going on foot through wilderness and the mountains in order to avoid all the patrols, so be prepared for a tough hike."

This got instant agreement from Raphtalia and Melty. Filo, however, couldn't help herself. "Promise me we'll come back for this cart Master! I don't want us to lose it!" She whined with a pout on her face.

I chuckled. "I promise Filo. Once this is all over, we'll come back for it." This seemed to satisfy her for now.

§

It only took an hour for Raphtalia and me to pack up the necessary supplies, during which time I also made sure to add Melty to our party. As her bars appeared under Filo's, I noticed her large mana pool and a much smaller health bar that was expected of an advanced spell-caster. I made a mental note of this should we ever get into a fight.

Once we had packed, we woke up Filo and Melty and quietly left our camp, and the cart, behind. Filo, of course, was reluctant to leave the cart behind but created no fuss when I l gave her a stern look. As we started our trek I pulled out my map of Melromarc and plotted a course to the Shieldfreeden border that avoided all pathways, towns and checkpoints. This meant the majority of our trip, as I told the others previously, would be through forests, cliffs and mountain ranges, a difficult climb but we had little alternative.

But as the day went on, I noticed an odd development from the legions and carriages of soldiers that we espied from afar. Instead of equally dividing their numbers between all of the border gates, most of the soldiers were heading towards the border with Siltvelt, with only one or two out of every ten companies and carriages going to the other borders. Since Erhard and Beloukas were the only other people who knew our destination, and I knew they wouldn't be confessing any time soon, I came to the next possible conclusion: There was something or someone in Siltvelt that the royal family didn't want me to see, which could only mean good things for us. So I called a quick halt in an enclosed area of forest and quietly informed the girls of our change of course. We would now head to the Siltvelt border.

After a full day's hard slog, only taking brief breaks to rest our limbs and to eat, it wasn't surprising that everyone was slowly becoming exhausted. The person I was particularly concerned for was Melty, who out of all of us was the least prepared for this sort of hike. My fears were realised as, with night almost upon us, we were making our way up another mountain range. Raphtalia was currently in the lead, scouting ahead on the path, and she was followed by Filo, then Melty and then myself bringing up the rear when Melty suddenly started slumping, her walking and breathing becoming laboured as she was reaching the end of her limit. I quickly called the others to halt as I ran over to Melty, quickly supporting her before she tipped over. As I gathered her in my arms, I quickly made a decision: We needed to camp for the night.

"Raphtalia, dump your bag and scout on ahead a little, see if there is anywhere sheltered we can use as a makeshift camp." Raphtalia nodded and took off at a swift pace up the path as Filo ran over to me, clearly worried for her friend. "It's okay Filo," I tried to reassure her. "She's just exhausted."

It didn't take long for Raphtalia to return, and as she approached she informed us there was a cave at the top of the rise that was well sheltered. Nodding at her in thanks, I passed Melty to her, instructing her and Filo to make their way as quickly as possible to the cave and get Melty to lie down. I would follow on with mine and Raphtalia's bag. The girls nodded and, with Raphtalia holding Melty very carefully, made their way up the mountain pass as I made to pick up Raphtalia's bag and, shouldering it, follow on as quickly as the weight would allow.

It didn't take me too long to reach the cave. As Raphtalia had said it was nice and roomy and well sheltered on three sides, which would make locating it an even harder task for the soldiers chasing us. As I entered and dropped the bags, I noticed with approval that Raphtalia had started a small fire whilst Filo was sitting by Melty's resting form, rubbing her hair and gently soothing her as the Princess got some much-needed shut-eye.

"You did very well today everyone," I spoke up, giving everyone a wide smile as I did. "It was a tough hike, but we made good progress. If we keep this up we'll be at Siltvelt in no time." This got me a cheer from Filo and a smile from Raphtalia as I set about distributing some of the food supplies we had packed.

Despite the circumstances, the atmosphere in our group was cheerful as we tucked into our meal, with Melty eventually joining us once she woke up. During our meal, Melty cleared her throat and asked me a question: "I must ask Fergus, what exactly has gone on between you and my Father? I just can't understand how you and he could hate each other much in such little time."

I proceeded to finish my current bite before proceeding to explain to Melty what had happened, emphasising the following points in particular: How the King seemed predisposed to dislike me ever since we first met, the false accusation involving Malty that caused the King to brand me a criminal and demonize me in the eyes of the public, the King's efforts to try and separate Raphtalia and I, how he had tried to deny me of my rightful monthly stipend which was only averted due to the Sword and Bow Hero, how he had blocked me and my party from getting Class Upgrades, and lastly our most recent spat which led to the King threatening Raphtalia and Filo and myself promising vengeance should he do so.

As I finished my tale, Melty let out a sight of lament. "This is exactly what my mother, the Queen, didn't want to happen," she proceeded to explain. "Before she left, Mother had firmly told everyone to make sure that the Shield-Hero was treated as well as the other Three Heroes. I can't believe how much Father has contributed to making sure the exact opposite happened."

"That actually reminds me of something I wanted to ask you Melty. Who exactly is your Mother, and how important is she?" I asked.

"There's not much to say really, except that my mother, Mirellia Melromarc, is the Queen and true ruler of Melromarc. She is a kind and just Queen, famous for her diplomatic and negotiating skills." Melty explained.

"Wait a minute…so does that mean the Queen holds more power than the King?" I asked, wanting to be sure.

"Correct. Melromarc is a matriarchal country based on a matrilineal line of succession, so the Queen is nearly always the true ruler, with the King consort being the one who has to marry into the family."

"So, case in point, if the Queen happens to be absent from the country for one reason or another, then it is the King consort who holds the power until her return?" This question got a nod in reply from the Princess.

"Well then, I guess our mission is clear now: Once we get to Siltvelt, we will do our best to locate the Queen, get to her location and then with her help clear my name and resolve this whole mess. Does that sound good?" I asked the group as a whole.

"If it means clearing your name, you know I will gladly go along with it!" Raphtalia replied with a smile, a sentiment echoed by Filo.

"Mother is the only person who has the power to unite us. The sooner we find her the better." Melty said, which drew nods of agreement from the rest of us.

The joyous atmosphere that followed was quickly ruined by the sound of wings from nearby, causing all of us to stop what we were doing and remain completely still. Motioning for the others to stay where they were, I softly made my way to the entrance of the cave, making sure to remain in cover as I peeked outside, discovering the source of wings to de an organised flock of ravens that were swooping around the area where we currently were.

"_Shit, they must have some idea where we are,_" I cursed internally as I stepped back into the cave. "We need to go, now. Pick up what supplies you can, leave the rest," I quickly whispered to the girls as I returned to the fire.

Given the direness of the situation, the girls didn't offer any objections, and within a minute we exited the cave and resumed the path we had been following previously, which took us over the top of the mountain and down the other side that overlooked a wide cavern. As we were about half-way down, I noticed the light of torches from below and whispered for the girls to get down in a nearby bush. As we all lay flat and completely still, we managed to overhear what was being said.

"Spread out and find them, they can't have gone too far," was one of the phrases we overheard. "_Damn, they've really done a good job of tracking our escape._" As they moved passed us we silently crept out of cover and resumed our path to the base of the mountain. From there, the path split in two: the higher road alongside the cavern or a path that descended into the cavern itself.

Figuring that the guards would be patrolling the high roads, I lead the girls down the path into the cavern, which gradually became narrower and narrower until we were forced to scoot along sideways, backs pressed along the cavern wall. As we kept going, looking for a way to cross, we heard the sounds of guards from directly above us. I was just about to tell the others to head back when disaster struck! Melty lost her footing and slipped, causing the path beneath her to crumble. I was able to grab her hand and keep her from falling in, but her scream and the sound of the falling rocks had generated enough noise to give away our position!

"WE'VE FOUND THEM!" Came the yell from up above. Quietly cursing our luck, and realising now we couldn't go back without being surrounded, we scooted along the pathway as quickly as we can. Thankfully, the pathway widened out and we were able to break into a full sprint as we headed towards where our route and the route taken by the guards met, becoming one pathway that led towards what I hoped was a crossing. But as we sprinted towards it, the guards not too far behind, our luck was out once again, as the bridge had collapsed halfway, leaving a gap that was too far for us to jump safely, even if I used Air Strike Shield as platforms.

"_Guess we're trapped now,_" I thought resignedly to myself as the girls and I turned around to face our pursuers. We were hopelessly outnumbered, and to make matters worse, three unmistakable figures could be seen out in front leading the pursuit: None other than the other three Heroes: Ren, Motoyasu and Itsuki.

We were officially fucked.

§

The soldiers made quick work in making sure we were surrounded, blocking all of the paths except the one behind us which led on to the collapsed bridge. And as the three Heroes stepped forward, no doubt to demand my surrender, I made sure all of us, especially Melty, were visible and quickly looked around, noting in the distance another bridge that we could use to escape.

Before I could plot a route, Itsuki spoke up whilst doing his best to look as heroic as possible: "It's over Fergus. Surrender and face justice for your crimes!"

"Itsuki, your efforts to keep up this façade of being a hero of Justice were futile before, and are futile now. You aren't fooling anyone so just stop it already. Also, once more assuming I've committed a crime that, surprise surprise, I haven't actually committed? I stopped being surprised a long time ago, it's just par for the course with you three."

"Even you can't worm your way out of this one Fergus," Motoyasu spoke up with a superior sneer. "The proof of your crimes is irrefutable. Now release the Second Princess at once!"

"Irrefutable eh Motoyasu?" I replied back with a chuckle. "Just like the 'irrefutable' proof of my other supposed crimes, which turned out to be false in the past and are also false now. Besides, you speak as though I have Melty gagged and bound, when in reality, if you look closely enough, it's the exact opposite."

This was Melty's cue to come forward from next to me, looking squarely at the other Three Heroes as she spoke: "Heroes, my name is-"

"Princess Melty! Get away from him and come over to us, quickly!" Motoyasu interrupted rudely, his voice frantic. As you can imagine, this did not go over well with everyone.

"How dare you interrupt the Princess when she is speaking!" I shouted angrily. I was not alone in my anger, as I saw Ren and Itsuki both give Motoyasu a massive stink-eye for his actions which caused the Spear-Hero to shut up.

"As I was about to say before I was very rudely interrupted," Melty resumed, glaring at Motoyasu as she spoke. "I am Princess Melty Melromarc, and contrary to what you have been told, I am well and unharmed. And rather than kidnapping me, the Shield-Hero has actually been the one looking after me over the past few days."

This drew looks of confusion from the others, causing Ren to speak up. "This whole thing started because Fergus abducted you!" Despite his words, I could hear the faintest tinges of doubt in his words, as though he didn't fully believe what had been told now that was confronted with the reality of the situation.

"This is all a grave misunderstanding," Melty resumed. "I had just requested that the Shield-Hero return to the capital and speak with my Father when I was attacked by one of the guards who was escorting me. Fergus was the one who blocked the attack that would have ended my life, and then he and his party defended me from the other guards as they attacked. Once that fight was over, with no casualties I might add, I asked for the Shield-Hero and his companions to take me away for my own safety."

"And you're asking us to believe that Fergus' ulterior motive wasn't to abduct you?" Motoyasu replied with a scoff.

"Of course. After all, since you, my sister and my Father have accused Fergus of multiple crimes, Fergus stood to gain nothing from abducting me and adding another supposed crime to the list you have drawn up from him," she explained, drawing a nod from me. "I am on a mission from the Queen to ascertain what exactly is going on and why this conflict between the Shield-Hero and the other Heroes, as well as my father, is still going on and do my best to end it. After all, we need all of the Heroes united to fight back the Waves that will kill us all!"

"_Damn she is good!_" I marvelled quietly, watching on as the other Heroes started looking uneasy. She was getting through to them! "Heroes, please put your weapons away and let us resolve this peacefully!" Melty implored.

I knew I had to offer something of my own to sweeten the deal. "If you do as the Princess asks, I will voluntarily tell all three of you all of the information we have gathered so far and who we believe to be behind all of this."

For a moment, for a very brief moment, I really thought we were getting somewhere. Unfortunately, all my hopes were dashed thanks to the next voice that spoke up.

"HEROES! Do not listen to anything the Shield-Hero or his companions have to say!" That voice was unmistakable, the figure that approached us even more so. Malty, the bitch herself, had arrived on the scene.

"_Should've known this bitch would turn up at some point,_" I thought to myself as I growled out a retort: "I was wondering when you'd show up 'Princess'. Alright then, let's hear your latest attempt to discredit me."

Giving no sign that she'd even heard me, Malty turned to face the other Heroes. "The Shield-Hero possess a brainwashing Shield that allows him to control the minds of other people just by simply talking to them!" She declared dramatically

"That's preposterous! What sort of idiot would believe such a ludicrous accusation?" Raphtalia snarled, no doubt voicing the opinion of everyone on my side.

Malty wasn't done, however. "For the past month citizens around the country have been speaking fondly of the Shield-Hero, even going so far as to revere him as 'The Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl' for all his supposed 'good deeds'! In reality, the Shield-Hero has been subverting their minds in order to spearhead a revolution to overthrow the monarchy! Fortunately, the Church of Three Heroes is currently perfecting a spell that will allow them to undo the brainwashing and free the minds of the afflicted!" As she finished she turned back around, her superior smirk in place, no doubt thinking she had me now.

It was all I could do not to lash out in anger at this. A brainwashing Shield? Organising a revolution?! She was really getting desperate now. But in her arrogance, she had name-dropped the Three Heroes Church, which was almost as good as her admitting she was working with him. However, what was still unprovable was her desire to kill Melty. So for the time being, I would have to work with what I had and use logic and facts to disprove her theories.

But as I looked at the faces of the other Heroes as Malty finished her tale, I could tell they were buying her story hook, line and sinker. This latest show of stupidity, Malty's ludicrous accusation, all the stress and frustration that had built up over the past few weeks and my current exhausted state proved too much for my brain to take.

At that moment in time, I snapped. But unlike before when it came out as a roar of rage, flames spewing in anger…this time, I just burst into laughter.

It started out as a quiet chuckle, rising to an audible laugh, then it progressed to me bellowing with laughter before finally I fell on my back, laughing uproariously whilst clutching my chest, doing my best to hold the laughter in but failing, which caused me instead to tilt forward, landing on my hands and knees as I started to pound the ground with my hands, unable to stop as my bellowing laughter continued. All of the stupidity, all of the lunacy and all of the sheer ridiculousness of everything that had happened to me ever since I arrived in this world all came out in one go, and I couldn't help it.

There were two different reactions to my current state: my companions were looking at me worriedly, wondering what on earth had happened to me. As for Malty, the Heroes and the soldiers, they all had similar looks of frustration and annoyance. Eventually, it was Itsuki who spoke up amidst the cacophony of my laughter: "Pack it in you moron! How could you possibly find so much amusement in controlling people's minds?! You really are a sick fuck!"

Oh, that was too much, THEY ACTUALLY BOUGHT MALTY'S STORY! This almost set me off again but I forced my body back under my control, controlling my giggles as I righted myself, making sure to wipe away the tears of mirth that had started forming. Taking a few deep breaths, I suddenly felt Raphtalia's hand on my shoulder, and as I looked in her direction, I saw her watching me with concern. I gave her a thumbs up, letting her know I was okay, and as I turned to face the others, I felt her hand leave my shoulder.

"My apologies, that wasn't very comely of me was it?" I spoke up, making sure I was fully in control as I did so. "Truthfully, I've had to hold in a lot of stress and frustration over the past few weeks, and combined with what I've just heard now, it almost sent me into a full-on mental break down. If I hadn't let everything out just now, I might've have gone insane!"

With that out of the way my expression dropped it's joviality and became serious. "Honestly, I'm not sure what was more amusing just now. The absolute ridiculousness of what Malty just spouted, or the fact that you three are so gullible that you would actually believe it!" With a small chuckle, I turned my gaze squarely to Malty as I continued. "I warned you back at the village to stop the lying and your continued attempts to try and ruin my life. But not only did you not listen, but you've also only gotten worse! Lying is such second-nature to you now that you are actually believing the lies you are spouting! I mean, how else could you possibly come up with such a ludicrous story as you just did. I mean really, a brainwashing Shield?! Anyone who chooses to believe that need their heads examining, which doesn't speak well for the three of you."

I let them simmer on my words as I continued. "Unlike Malty, my denial of her accusations are based on solid proof, logic and common sense. For example, your bit about me subverting the minds of the populace. Having spoken with your sister, the person who knows you best, I'm not surprised you are unfamiliar with the concepts of kindness and gratitude, and so I will spell those out in simple terms for you, and you might want to listen as well Motoyasu since you apparently lack a brain! You see, when you do a good deed or perform an act of kindness for someone, that person is going to grateful to you and will look favourably upon you in the future, or to put it in a simpler term, will feel gratitude towards you. Gratitude, for all the idiots in attendance, is a social emotion that signals recognition of a good deed that someone has done for that person. Let me give you an example: Curing someone of their illness, or providing starving people with food, or maybe even saving their lives when they are in danger! It's so simple even a child could understand it!"

I scratched my head a little in embarrassment as I continued: "I did not come up with the term 'Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl'. In fact, I find it rather embarrassing and kind of wish people would stop calling me it, but I would never tell them to stop if that's what they want to view me as. Because guess what, everyone has their own minds and has the right to call me whatever they please. No brainwashing needed."

Speaking of brainwashing, that caused something else to come into my head that I can't believe I almost missed! "Finally, there's the most obvious proof I have to offer: If I had this power all along, why would I have let everything that has happened to me continue? I could have easily used that power to change the minds of the royal family, the guards and everyone in the country and given myself a much easier life. Do you want to know why I haven't? Because such a thing as a brainwashing Shield DOES NOT EXIST!"

As I finished, I exhaled once more, allowing myself a few seconds to recover before I would ask what would be done now. Unfortunately, the bitch couldn't resist opening her mouth: "We here are of stronger minds than the people of this country, your power doesn't work on us!"

"_Gotcha!_" "And how would you know that eh? Surely if you knew that, you would have known about the brainwashing Shield a long time ago! If that was the case, why didn't you tell anyone? Why keep it to yourself when, just as you said, it could pose such a national risk? Also, your words just then don't match up with your accusation. You claim that the brainwashing Shield wouldn't work on you, and yet you claim that all of my companions, including Melty, are brainwashed. And between everyone here, it's obvious who is the smarter and stronger-willed of the two sisters. You can't have it both ways Malty, either both of you are capable of being brainwashed, or neither of you is, which again proves your story is complete bullshit!"

Malty snarled as she watched her argument fall apart. Fortunately for her, Motoyasu spoke up in her place: "The proof is right in front of us! None of your companions would follow a criminal of their own free will! The only reason they are is that you've brainwashed them!"

"Malty, keep your puppet on its strings and tell it not to speak where it's not wanted since all it does is regurgitate your words. " I fired back angrily, not in the mood to deal with Motoyasu's stupidity.

Malty looked as though she was about to snap back in Motoyasu's defence when another party entered the fray. "All of you shut up! This arguing is getting us nowhere!" This came from Ren, who had stepped forward and positioned himself between his allies and our group. Satisfied that he had everyone's attention, Ren then turned to face me. "Fergus, if you would allow the Princess to come with us, I swear I will at least hear you out."

Well, this was a turn-up for the books, but a welcome one. But of course Malty couldn't help herself as she ran up to Ren and clutched hold of his chest, simpering as she did so. "Quite right Sir Ren, we must get my sister back whatever it takes!" Ren, however, was unmoved by Malty's words and instead gave her a massive stink-eye, which caused Malty to back off temporarily as I considered Ren's request.

"Master, don't let them take Mel.." Filo pleaded quietly, reaching over to tug on my arm as she spoke. I looked down at her and smiled reassuringly. "It's okay Filo, I have this under control. I promise you, I won't let anything happen to Melty," I responded quietly as I turned back to face Ren.

"I appreciate your offer Ren, but I have a few conditions to make before I even consider letting her go. First of which, is that the decision of where she goes lies purely with Melty since she is the affected party. My second condition, if she agrees, is that she is taken to the custody of either yourself or Itsuki."

This drew a gasp from my companions and the other Heroes, since it was public knowledge that Itsuki and I despised each other, and so I explained my reasoning: "As much as I dislike Itsuki on a personal level, and even though his sense of justice is completely askew, that same sense of justice would not allow any harm to come to a member of the royal family, as well as an innocent party. And since I trust Ren, and know that he is both sensible or reasonable, I would be fine with entrusting Melty's safety to either of them. My third condition that is completely non-negotiable is that both Princess Malty and Motoyasu withdraw before the exchange takes place since I do not trust Malty to not kill her sister should she have the slightest opportunity." As I finished, I turned to look at Melty and bowed politely in her direction as I addressed her: "Princess Melty, are these conditions acceptable to you?"

To her credit, Melty looked a bit taken aback at first, but after processing it rapidly, nodded as she responded: "They are reasonable, and if fulfilled I will go." Filo and Raphtalia looked as though they were about to protest, but Malty beat them to it.

"How could you even think I would dare lay hands on my dear sister?!" She asked, trying to put on an air of disbelief that fooled neither myself or Melty.

"Oh please 'Sister'! You've made no secret of your resentment that Mother named me as Crown Princess instead of you." Melty replied sharply.

"Wait, Crown Princess? And your Mother? What are you talking about?" Itsuki asked confusedly.

"Oh yeah, you two don't know about this because this is the first time you've met Melty. The truth is that Melty is the Crown Princess of Melromarc, not Malty even though she is the elder, and that their Mother, the Queen, is the true ruler of Melromarc. King Aultcray is merely the King consort, and the only reason he is currently calling the shots is that the Queen is currently absent." I explained as Malty snarled in rage, obviously incensed that that particular bit of information had been made public.

"Shield-Hero, I have made my decision!" Melty shouted, still retaining her formality as she did so. "I will stay with you and your party."

I nodded. "Very well then. Ren, I appreciate your offer, but the Princess has made her decision. And since she is under my protection, I will do whatever I have to to keep her safe, including this. FILO!"

"RIGHT!" At my signal, she switched into her Filolial form and started kicking up dust from the ground. As she did so, the three of us leapt on her back, and once she felt us there she used her wind magic to augment the amount of dust and send it directly towards the others. I then followed up with an Air Strike Shield, which gave her a platform to leap up to and then subsequently jump off, taking us over the large rock formation in front of us and in the direction of the crossing I had spotted earlier.

Just as I thought we were in the clear, however, I heard a yell from behind us. "You're not getting away!" Motoyasu's voice rang out above the din, and barely a second or two after we heard that Filo lost all of her momentum as a shackle clamped onto her leg. This caused her to return to her human form, and as a result, we all plummeted to the ground below us. And as we landed, our separate descent trajectories caused Filo to land away from where Raphtalia, Melty and I fell.

And since the ground we had fallen on was solid rock, it took us a few seconds for everyone to get their breath back, and another few seconds after that to even try and get to our feet. And these precious seconds where all it took for Malty, the Heroes and the soldiers to catch up to our location. Our dire situation was only compounded further as Malty conjured a ball of purple energy, sending it high into the sky before causing it to burst outward, bathing the vicinity in a bright purple glow.

"I've just alerted all our surrounding forces to our location, and they will soon be arriving. There's nowhere left for you to run!" Malty proclaimed with her trademark superior smirk back on her face. At the same time, Motoyasu was approaching Filo, his arms wide and his face ecstatic.

We quickly got to our feet and, seeing Raphtalia covering Ren and Itsuki's approach, I quickly focused on getting Filo back and making our escape. However, much to my disgust, Motoyasu proceeded to wrap his arms around Filo and hold her close, ignoring her cries to let her go as he again started proclaiming his love for the small blonde.

"_That sick fuck!_" I thought angrily. But it turns out my anger was nothing compared to the small girl at my side, who with a face etched with fury cupped her hands by her side, water swirling between them. "ZWEIT AQUA SLASH!" Melty cried, and the ball of water that had gathered in her hands elongated into a sharp blade as she fired, the resulting attack barely missing Motoyasu's head and completely destroying a tree that was in its pathway.

"That was a warning shot. Next time I won't miss." She said coldly. "Now get your hands off of Filo!"

"_Note to self: Don't piss off Melty,_" I noted to myself, impressed by her power. However I had little time to congratulate her as I saw Malty charge a fireball spell, her gaze firmly fixed on her younger sister, and since Melty was focused on Motoyasu, she didn't see the danger she was in! I quickly activated my Shield of the First Avenger as Malty fired off her spell, moving in front of Melty and taking the spell on my Shield and deflecting it away harmlessly.

"You brat!" Malty raged, no longer hiding her anger as she proceeded to charge up another fire spell, much to Ren and Itsuki's shock. "Stop what you are doing Princess!" Itsuki yelled, but Malty ignored him as she continued to bombard us with fire spell after fire spell, only stopping to consume a mana potion before resuming the attack.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?! That's your own sister!" Ren screamed, but just Itsuki he was ignored

"I already knew you are a piece of work Malty, but I thought there was no way you could possibly sink any lower," I growled, not even trying to hide my anger. "Trying to murder your own sister for your own selfish ambitions, there is truly no redemption for you!"

"I would rather see my sister dead than live under your brainwashing!" Malty yelled back, almost frenzied as she continued the barrage.

"Master Fergus," Raphtalia whispered quietly in my ear. "If you look after Melty and give me a distraction, I'll take care of Malty and rescue Filo."

"Okay, do your thing. As soon as you've handled it, we'll be making our escape. Understood?" Raphtalia nodded at my response and, using my body for cover, cloaked herself with her illusion magic. Now it was up to me to provide a distraction for her. Fortunately, I had the perfect tool to do such.

"Melty, take cover behind me and stay down," I muttered quietly to Melty, who nodded quickly and did as I asked as I changed my Shield back to my original form. "I call upon thy power once more, SHIELD OF WRATH!" I felt my anger stir once more within me as my Shield changed form once again, the familiar dragon scales covering my armour. Unlike the last two times, I was able to keep a lid on my feelings and instead focus on the task at hand.

"Loyal soldiers of Melromarc, bring your righteous fury down on the Devil of the Shield!" I heard Malty call out, and as if waiting for that exact command a whole bunch of archers loaded their bows and instantly fired, their arrows all heading towards me.

"FLAME ON!" At this yell, my Shield started spewing flames once more as the arrows flew towards me, burning most of the projectiles to cinders as the few ones that hit impacted on my Shield. I grinned, looking past my Shield and directing my next words at Malty. "I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO HARM THE CROWN PRINCESS, THEE WHO I DUB AS PAWN OF THE THREE HEROES' CHURCH!" I proclaimed, which only seemed to infuriate Malty, causing her to start charging a larger fireball spell, no doubt intending to incinerate the area around me.

I prepared to use my Shield of Wrath to block it once more, when all of a sudden Raphtalia appeared directly behind Malty, the hilt of her second sword pointed directly at Malty's back. "You're wide open!" She yelled as an ethereal blade materialised, piercing Malty directly through. This caused the large fireball to dissipate as Malty's mana was completely drained. And at the same time, I spotted Filo, who had managed to get her gloves back on, strike Motoyasu with a hard punch, sending him flying away once more!

"Soldiers, charge! Strike down the Devil of the Shield and his companions!" A captain yelled, causing the soldiers behind him to start dashing pell-mell down the hill towards us. It was time for us to go!

"Girls get behind me, we're leaving!" I yelled, backing up halfway down the bridge. As the girls proceeded to do such, I noticed, with both surprise and relief, Ren and Itsuki trying to stop the soldiers from reaching me, even taking a few bumps in the process as the soldiers ignored their pleas and kept charging past.

"PAWN OF THE THREE HEROES' CHURCH, I PROMISE THEE! NEXT TIME WE MEET, YOU SHALL FACE JUSTICE FOR YOUR CRIMES!" I proclaimed once again, my voice turning somewhat demonic due to the Wrath Shield. "As for the rest of you, Heroes and soldiers alike, I advise you to get down and get back because in the words of a wizard I once knew, YOU! SHALL! NOT! PASS!" With this yell, I spewed forth a huge wave of flames from my Shield and directed it at the path in front of me, causing the bridge to collapse. Thankfully the soldiers had listened to me and, amidst the flames and yells to get back, I saw them running back the way they came.

Satisfied that they couldn't chase us, I turned around and nodded to the girls as we started to leave. Yet as we were doing so, I heard a voice cry out from the smoke that my flames had generated.

"FERGUS!" It was Ren. Hearing his voice triggered something in my mind, and as I reached into my pack and took out the rosary depicting the Three Heroes' Church, I made a snap decision.

"Fergus, wait up! Let's talk this out!" Ren called once more as I strode to the edge of the bridge, looking over the gap where I knew Ren currently was.

"Ren, listen to me!" I yelled back, tossing the rosary across the gap and hearing it clatter to the ground. "This rosary is from an organisation called the Three Heroes' Church. They are the ones behind all this! I know you're a smart guy, I trust you to fill in the gaps and figure this all out."

"Fergus, wait, come back!" I heard Ren call once more, but I turned and walked away, linking up with the girls once more as we started making our way out of the cavern.

As we were now going into hiding, there was nothing more I could do. I had to leave this in Ren's hands. I had faith in him to figure this out, and since he and Itsuki seemed to be on good terms, he might get the Bow Hero to assist, which would be even better. Despite my personal dislike of Itsuki, two Heroes would be better than one.

§

Just to be on the safe side, I made sure we got as much distance between us and the cavern as we possibly could. Once I was satisfied, we stopped and made a quick camp with the supplies we had, during which time I disarmed the shackle from Filo's legs, which got me an enthusiastic hug from the relived Filolial.

"So what now?" Raphtalia asked as we did our best to recover from all our recent exertions. As if in response to her question, we all suddenly heard the sound of a twig snap nearby. As we looked in the direction of the sound, we saw another person around our camp-fire. Where had she come from?!

Raphtalia and Filo tensed up at the new arrival, but Melty got between them. "It's okay, I know who this is! This is one of the Shadows, a group of spies who answer directly to the Queen."

"We've met some of you before, back in Lute Village," I commented, noting the garb she was wearing and how it was exactly the same get-up as the same people who had confronted Malty on that day.

"Indeed. But this is the first I've met you in this form Shield-Hero, I must say." The Shadow responded.

"_Why does that pattern of speech sound so familiar? Wait a second!_" "It was you! You were the one in the palace who warned me about the Three Heroes' Church!" I responded.

This caused the Shadow to smile as she responded. "Very clever Shield-Hero. But my time here must be swift. You must all head for the town of Faubley, completely in the opposite direction from where you are headed. That is where the Queen currently is, and she greatly desires to speak with you."

"_Another hard slog, but if it gets us to the Queen, I think we can manage._" "Is this okay with you Melty? After all, we'll have to travel a fair distance to get there." I asked the blue-haired girl

"If it gets us to Mother, I have no objections," Melty responded, and as I turned to look at Raphtalia and Filo, I got two further nods of agreement.

"Very well then, we're on our way to Faubley! Please tell the Queen we'll be-" But as I turned my head to look at the Shadow, I saw she had completely vanished. "_Damn she's good,_" I thought to myself. At the same time, my ears picked up the sound of wood cracking away in the distance. Along with the smell of smoke in the air, I quickly concluded that a fire was headed in our direction.

"Get your things together everyone, we need to move, now!"

**Dang it Malty, couldn't let our company get away so easily could you? Also did you see that Fantastic Four and Lord of the Rings reference? Couldn't resist!**

**Not much to say in regards to changes to this chapter because there aren't much, the only one of note, of course, being the confrontation on the bridge since Fergus has so much to say. The addition of Fergus almost breaking down due to everything he has built up inside of him was a late addition but something I glad I added, really wanted to see Fergus struggle with everything he's had to put with and finally let it all out, although this time around it came as a laugh instead of anger.**

**The next chapter will see our merry band take a break from the fighting for now. However, events will be taking place that will not only give us insight into Raphtalia's past but will also lead up to the one major change I am making that differs from what happens in the anime.**

**Until then, thank you very much for reading! This is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now and I will see you in the next one!**


	19. Ch 17 - Our Pasts That Define Us

**So what else can I talk about but the fact that Rising of the Shield Hero is over for now…the last episode was a good way to end the first season, and I'm very confident that there will be more. But I am really going to miss it. Honestly, after the first episode, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to carry on with it but I am glad I did.**

**Because not only has it become one of my favourite ever anime series, but it was also what inspired me to start writing fan-fiction in the first place, and as such I will never forget it.**

**Can I also just say that Hiroyuki Sawano is an absolute genius? I purchased the OST for Season 3 of Attack on Titan this week and it's amazing. I didn't think Sawano couldn't get any better, but the man just seems to make each soundtrack more epic than the last. If that's the case I cannot wait for any future soundtracks! Also the second half of the Rising of the Shield Hero OST by Kevin Penkin has been out for over a week, only found out about it this evening, so go check that out too!**

**I was going back and forth on whether I was going to end this story after episode 21 or at the end of the season itself, but I am leaning more towards the end of the season.**

**But enough of that, let's get on to chapter 17! Our group has escaped danger, but what awaits them in the days ahead? As usual, the mandatory disclaimer that I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 17 - Our Pasts That Define Us

Despite their exhaustion, perhaps noticing the urgency in my voice, the girls didn't object when I told them we were moving, which I was extremely glad for. If we had been delayed at all, we would no doubt have been engulfed in the forest fire that now raged behind us. As I looked back towards the sea of fire, I had an instant feeling about who was responsible: Malty must have sussed out that we were heading towards Siltvelt and had set fire to the area in order to block our way, her hope obviously to flush us out into the open.

Unfortunately for her, we had already altered our course that would take us in another direction entirely. I whispered a silent thank you for the Shadow's timely appearance and report because thanks to her we now had a chance of ending this mess. However, until we actually reached Faubley, and find the Queen, we would be in constant danger, and so I refused to allow myself to relax at any point.

Not long after we had left our makeshift camp, we came across another small village. Fearing that this village had seen the altered recordings of our fight with the guards, I wasn't prepared to enter. However, we were in desperate need of supplies having had to abandon most of what we were carrying in the cave, so I waved Raphtalia over. "Take the spare cloak from my pack and head into the village. I'll give you some coins to use to buy some supplies, but make sure you are unseen and to keep your disguise up. Come back as soon as you are done." Raphtalia nodded in response and, taking the cloak and money from my hands, used her illusion magic and stole away towards the village.

In what seemed to be no time at all she returned, supplies in hand and with the news I had expected: "The vendor spoke about how the soldiers have sealed the Siltvelt border, and how he hoped that the Devil of the Shield would be bought to justice for abducting the Princess." This latest information was more than enough to wash away the last of the doubts we had about heading towards Faubley. With that, we once again set off, keeping to forests and mountain ranges as we had before.

§

After travelling through the night to try and get as much distance between us and any possible pursuit, we came across another village on our route. As we usually did, we took to a nearby wooded area to avoid being noticed, but as we did I couldn't help but notice a major difference between this village and all the others we had passed: the people that were ploughing away on the farms and gathering fruits were demi-humans! After all, there was no mistaking the tails and cat-like ears.

"There are so many of them!" Raphtalia whispered in awe. "I didn't think demi-humans were living in such numbers anywhere!"

"Wait a minute, if this is the region I think it is, then we may be in luck!" Melty spoke up. "If I am correct, I know the nobleman in charge of this village. He is a good man who I'm sure would help us out."

"I was under the impression most nobles would be like the King and look down on demi-humans. Are you saying this noble is an exception?" I queried her.

"Unfortunately you aren't wrong Fergus," Melty explained bitterly. "Nearly all nobles look down on demi-humans as an inferior species and force them into slavery. However, there are those amongst the nobility who have advocated for peaceful relations between the two races, and as such treat demi-humans very well. The most influential of them was the lord of the Seaetto region, but unfortunately, he died during the first Wave, which allowed my father to banish the other pro-demi-human nobles to the remotest parts of the kingdom."

"_I wonder why the King has such a hatred for demi-humans,_" I thought to myself as Melty spoke, feeling Raphtalia stiffen beside me as soon as Melty had brought up the Seaetto region, and as I turned to look at her I noticed her face had become incredibly downcast as Melty had continued her explanation. "What's wrong Raphtalia?" I asked gently.

"The Seaetto region…that was where my village was, it's where I was born and grew up…before the Wave hit," Raphtalia murmured softly.

"I heard a village in that region had been pillaged by raiders in the aftermath of the Wave, was that yours Raphtalia?" Melty wondered.

Raphtalia shook her head, and what she said next left us completely stunned. "It wasn't raiders…our village was ransacked by a group of Melromarc soldiers."

Silence fell as we all processed this in various ways. Both Melty and Filo looked upset, with Filo going over to Raphtalia and giving her a quick hug around the middle to try and comfort her. Melty, however, just looked away in shame, I suspect she was ashamed on behalf of her countrymen. I, however, was quietly seething. "The King and his men have a lot to answer for…" I muttered to myself.

"Raphtalia, I am so sorry for what happened." Melty eventually spoke up, sorrow lacing her voice.

"Why are you saying sorry? It's not as if it was your fault, Mel," Raphtalia replied.

Melty shook her head as she spoke again. "As a member of the royal family, we should have done more to help." She then looked squarely at Raphtalia before continuing. "Raphtalia, when we next sit down and have a chat, I want you to tell me everything that happened so that when all of this is over I can find the soldiers responsible and ensure they face justice."

This brought a small smile to Raphtalia's face, although her eyes were still mired in sorrow. "Thank you, Melty."

As this interaction was going on I couldn't help but smile at the growing bond between the two before returning the conversation back to where it started: "Melty, regarding the nobleman that you claim is in charge here, I have two questions: Do you believe we can trust him, and if so, do you have a way to get in touch with him?"

"Some fair questions Shield-Hero. Fortunately there is no need for you to find a way to get in touch with me," a voice spoke up from behind us, causing the four of us to whip around and draw our weapons, or in Filo and Melty's case raise their hands, at the figure who had appeared in the clearing behind us. It turned out to be a young man with blue hair, dressed in a white cape on top of a dark blue overcoat and brown trousers and wearing a pair of small, armless round spectacles who was smiling warmly at us.

"Who are you, and how on earth did you sneak up on us?" I asked warily.

"My name is Van Reichnott and I am the lord of this region," he replied as turned to Melty, his smile only growing on seeing her. "Princess Melty, I am glad to see you are safe."

"It's been too long Van Reichnott, I am glad to see you are still doing well," Melty replied with a smile as she proceeded to introduce the rest of us. "These are my companions: Filo, who may be a small girl but is actually a Filolial, Raphtalia, another demi-human, and the Shield-Hero Fergus Ward."

"Such fascinating companions you travel with Princess," Van Reichnott responded as he bowed in our direction. "I have heard much about you Shield-Hero, and it is an honour to meet you and your companions."

Filo waved, Raphtalia curtsied and I bowed in response to his greeting. "If you are a friend of Melty then you are already in my good books," I spoke up. "I'm sorry to ask this of you so soon after meeting you, but Melty said you may be able to help us out?"

Van Reichnott turned his warm gaze to me. "If you are friends of the Princess then I do will my best to offer you assistance. But it is not safe for us to talk here. Please accept my invitation to my dwellings where we may discuss things further."

Melty turned to look at the three of us and got three nods in response. "We accept your kind invitation Van Reichnott," she formally replied.

"Splendid! Now please follow me."

§

"_Dang this is a nice place,_" I thought to myself as we approached Reichnott's house, which turned out to be a rather lavish mansion in the middle of the village, with a green roof, three floors and lots of windows which indicated a large assortment of rooms, and judging by Filo's gasp of amazement and the slightly stunned expression on Raphtalia's expression, they were just as awed as I was.

"If you leave your belongings here, I will have some of the maids take them to the room that I have set aside for you," Reichnott spoke up as we entered the mansion. "In the meantime, I would very much like it if you came up to the dining room so that we catch up on things whilst lunch is prepared." As to be expected, Filo's eyes lit up at the mention of food, which drew a chuckle from Reichnott and Melty.

Reichnott led us up to the dining room, where after taking a seat around the wooden table with our host preferring to stand near one of the windows, I proceeded to explain what had transpired ever since the third Wave: About how Melty almost been killed by the soldiers escorting her, and that by defending her we had been framed for kidnapping her, the confrontation on the bridge and finally the meeting with one of the Queen's Shadows who had told us to go to Faubley, which led us to this village. As I was talking, Reichnott didn't interrupt, his only motion was to nod at various points.

"I see," he spoke up as finished. "So after your meeting with the Shadow, you made your way here whilst fleeing from a sudden forest fire, a fire that, according to the kingdom's soldiers, you started in order to cover your tracks. Can you confirm or deny that, Shield-Hero?"

"Of course they would pin that on me as well," I sighed, getting sick of being accused of everything under the sun. "Of course it wasn't us, none of us had the time or skills to start a fire that big. In fact, I believe it was started by Melty's sister, Princess Malty, in order to flush us out of hiding and block our way to Siltvelt."

"I feared something like this would happen. In fact, I've been worried ever since I heard the rumours that Princess Melty had been abducted," Reichnott replied. "I've been taking to patrolling the woods around the village on the off-chance that she would come here, which is how I found you earlier. And now that I have found you all, please feel free to stay here for as long as you need. Now then, how about some lunch? I couldn't help but notice your Filolial look very excited at the prospect earlier."

As if waiting on his words, the doors of the dining room opened, revealing two maids wheeling in trolleys laden with plates of food. Truth be told, they smelled absolutely divine and judging by the contents of the plates as they were placed in front of us and the lids removed, we were about to be treated to a fine meal. Filo, in particular, couldn't wait to start, but as she prepared to tuck in, I raised my hand in her direction, palm facing her to get her to wait. "It's proper manners to wait until everyone has been served before starting," I explained in response to Filo's pout. "Besides, I still haven't had an answer to my question on whether we can fully trust this man yet, so be extra careful."

This drew a sigh from Raphtalia and an angry glare from Melty, and honestly, I deserved them. However, in our current situation, I was even more wary than usual about who to trust. For all I knew at that moment, Reichnott might have poisoned our food or would wait until we were asleep before killing us.

Which is why our host's next action stunned me into silence. Without saying a word, Reichnott picked up one of the pieces of bread from my plate and popped it in his mouth, making a very deliberate show of chewing it up before swallowing it. "Hmm I must say that was delicious," he commented before turning to me. "Rest assured though Shield-Hero, I have not poisoned your food as you might suspect."

"_Is he a mind-reader or something?_" His words and actions caused me to let out an amused chuckle in response: "You'd have had to be a great actor to eat poisoned food just to get on someone's good side."

"Need I remind you that it is considered the height of rudeness to cast suspicion on a host who has so kindly offered their home to us?" Melty reprimanded me, still not impressed.

"I know, and I apologise for my actions. It's just that I have to be extremely careful of who I can trust these days." Having said this, I turned to look at Reichnott. "My apologies Van Reichnott, for the rudeness of my previous words and actions."

"Apology accepted Shield-Hero," Reichnott replied warmly, that soft smile never leaving his face. "Just remember what I said to you before: any friends of Princess Melty are friends of mine, and that you are free to remain here as long as you want."

"On behalf of my party, we graciously accept your kind offer and hospitality," I then said. "However, I would not want to impose on you for too long. We will stay the night and leave tomorrow morning."

"Why can't we stay longer than that? We'll need more than a day to fully recover!" Melty protested, to which I held up my hand.

"Trust me Melty, I wish we could stay for longer, but with soldiers so hot on our trail we can't afford to stay in one location for too long. Besides, I would not want to put our host in harm's way after all the kindness. So for now, let's eat, and then after that, I advise everyone to get as much rest as possible, but to remain alert in case trouble finds its way here."

"Time to tuck in then!" Filo cried happily, reaching out towards her plate with her hands, which drew another sharp reprimand from me: "FILO! We are guests here so stop being rude. Use your knife and fork properly!"

Filo grumbled very much like a scolded child but did as I asked. As we each tucked into our food, I noticed that throughout all of that, Raphtalia hadn't spoken a word, the same down expression from before still on her face. I resolved that once we had eaten, I would find out what was on her mind and try and cheer her up.

§

After we had finished our lavish meal, the best one we'd had in days, we all went our separate ways. Raphtalia had gotten up from her chair and left without a word, whilst Melty offered to take Filo exploring around the estate to which the Filolial happily accepted. As for myself, I stayed behind to thank Van Reichnott for the meal.

"I know what you are about to say, so let me just say that I'm glad you all enjoyed the meal," he cut in before I could open my mouth. "Should you or any of your party members require anything, please do not hesitate to find me or one of the servants who will be more than happy to help. I will also ensure that you have fresh supplies for tomorrow."

With my earlier gratitude now blown out of the water due to the lengths he was going to for us, all I could do was bow with my hand over my heart before leaving the room. As I left, I asked a nearby servant to show me where we would be staying for the night and, following their directions, made my way down the hall towards where our room was. As I pushed the door open, I saw that our room consisted of four beds, our supplies neatly tucked beside them, a desk, a chair and a window with a view out to the village, and it was by this window that Raphtalia was standing, looking out into the distance.

"Hey, are you settling in okay?" I asked softly, not wanting to startle her as I made my way into the room. She turned her head to face me, trying her best to smile. However, judging by her expression, it was obvious her mind was still elsewhere. As I joined her by the window, I saw Filo and Melty sitting on a bench conversing with each other. Melty looked downcast once more whilst Filo was her usual cheery self, no doubt doing her best to raise Melty's spirits.

"I thought Melty would be happier being around an old friend, yet it seems she still has a lot on her mind," I murmured.

"If anyone can cheer her up, Filo can," Raphtalia replied, trying her best to sound cheery once more, but there was still a lot of sadness behind her voice.

That was it, I had to find out what was on her mind. I couldn't stand seeing her like this. "Speaking of cheering someone up, you've been sad ever since Melty brought up the Seaetto region earlier. What's on your mind?"

Raphtalia shook her head in response. "Nothing important, I'll be fine."

"I know that's not the case since you've never acted like this before. Please, Raphtalia, this isn't like you, and I can't stand seeing you like this. Please tell me what's bothering you, I want to help."

Raphtalia looked over at me, searching my face for any hints of a lie in my words, but finding none she sighed before speaking once more: "I was just thinking about my family. And my friends. My home. The life I once had. All the happy times I had before the Wave and the soldiers came and ripped it all away from me."

I watched Raphtalia as she responded, noting once more the sadness behind her voice and how she seemed to be a bit closer to tears. And just like I had before our near-kiss, I decided I would do everything I could to make the sadness go away, to see my best friend smile and be happy once more. "Raphtalia…" I said softly, moving to behind next to her. "Do you trust me?"

"Huh?…" was all Raphtalia was able to say before I took one of her hands in mine and started making my way towards the bed. She watched me curiously but followed anyway, trying her hardest to control her blushing at my touch. I then took a seat on the side of the nearest bed and patted the space next to me, indicating she should sit there. As she did so, I reached over and took both of her hands and placed them in my lap, before looking up into Raphtalia's eyes. "Tell me about them," I said.

"What do you mean?" Raphtalia asked me, confused.

I proceeded to speak the following words with as much sincerity and firmness as I could muster, not once breaking eye contact with her: "I want you to tell me about your village, about your people, your family and your friends, so that I may know more about them and then thank their spirits for providing you with such joy. I want to know what happened after the Wave, when the soldiers raided your village, so that I may understand exactly what happened and exact true justice on the perpetrators when the time comes. And most importantly, I want to know everything that happened that made you the person you are today, the woman I am incredibly proud to call my best friend and the most important person in my life."

My words caused Raphtalia's blush to only increase, and this time I could see the tears that were about to fall from her eyes, and so I reached over and gently wiped them away. "And one more thing: If there is anything that is too painful for you to recall, don't feel as though you have to tell me. I'll understand."

Raphtalia shook her head. "No, I-I want to you tell you everything. I'm not afraid any more, and I can be strong." With those words, she gave my hands a grateful squeeze before she began her tale.

§

"The village where I was born and where I grew up was called Rurorona Village, in the region of Seaetto," Raphtalia started to explain. "According to what my parents told me about the origins of the village, it was established by the lord of Seaetto as a gesture of goodwill towards my people as well as to avoid conflict with the neighbouring country of Siltvelt. Ours was a very close-knit community, everyone got along and all of the children were practically raised alongside one another, and the Lord of Seaetto was always good to us, stepping in every time humans tried to make trouble in and around our village."

"Since all of the children were close, I grew up with a lot of friends, and we would spend our days playing and talking with each other. I especially remember two of my best friends, Rifana and Keel. Keel was very energetic and got along easily with everyone, always looking out for the rest of us and doing his best to raise the spirits of those who were sad at the time. I also remember him constantly bragging about when he grew up he was going to be the best hunter that the village had ever known, which always caused us to laugh since he would get so worked up about it! Rifana, on the other hand, was what you would call a lady, always talking about boys and love. I remember she would often ask me if I loved anyone special, and whenever I replied that I loved my parents and asked if that counted, she just shook her head in frustration and then proceeded to go on and on about her desire to fall in love and marry a great hero, just like in the tales we were raised on."

I couldn't help but smile as I interjected: "From the sounds of it, I would probably have got along great with your people if I had been able to meet them."

My words caused Raphtalia to giggle as she responded: "If she had met you, Rifana would have most likely fainted from shock at seeing one of her crushes, since her greatest desire was to marry one of the four Legendary Heroes, especially the Shield-Hero."

"It must be a characteristic of young demi-human girls to fall in love with the Shield-Hero," I teased, which earned me a punch in the shoulder from my companion, and yet my teasing had worked since, despite the fact she was blushing all the more furiously, she now had a smile on her face as I asked her something else: "What were your parents like?"

She looked towards the window as she continued: "My parents…they were the kindest and most caring people you could meet, the hard-working sort who never let their daughter lack for anything. As well as that, they also taught me several life-lessons that I always do my best to live by: Keep smiling, play nice with your friends, and when times are tough, smile even more so that everyone will smile with you." She stopped to wipe her eyes briefly before continuing. "They also spoke a lot about the Four Legendary Heroes, and made sure I remembered each of their weapons: The Shield, Sword, Spear and Bow, and about how the Shield-Hero, the kindest of them all, treated demi-humans with the utmost respect."

She stopped once more as another chuckle escaped her. "I remember begging my parents to allow me to meet the Shield-Hero, and their reply was always the same: be a good girl, and you will get to meet him one day. Which is why I always endeavoured to be the best and kindest person I could be so that I could meet him one day. They'd be so happy to know that not only did I meet the Shield-Hero, but that I'm also travelling and fighting alongside him."

"Your parents sound like the most amazing people, and the world is much poorer for their loss," I replied. "But by being the person you are, you are honouring their memories, and I know they'd be so proud of you." Tears flowed from her eyes as she heard my reply, and as she turned to face me, I was once more captivated by the beauty of her face, especially her eyes and her warm smile. But it didn't last long, as her smile went away and her eyes became downcast once more as she remembered what came after that.

"We were completely unprepared when the Wave hit, and as such the monsters ruined our village and killed many of the villagers, including my parents, as well as the lord of the Seaetto region. I only survived because my parents pushed me off the cliff-side just before they got killed by a similar dog-like monster that we fought in the mines. By the time I made it back to dry land, the Wave was over," she carried on, taking a deep breath before she continued as I squeezed her hand for comfort. "As soon as I was able, I went to my parents' graves and promised that I would never cry again, that I would keep smiling so that everyone else would smile too. I then rallied the survivors of the village to rebuild, telling them that if we worked together we could make it a happy place once more, that it's what the memories of those who had died would have wanted, and thanks to Keel and Rifana's support, I was able to convince everyone else to listen to me…"

"I always knew you had amazing inner strength and determination, as well as the conviction to fight for what you believe in," I interjected at this point. "It's those traits, as well as many others, that I admire about you." This rewarded me with another blush and smile from her, which once again faded as she recalled what happened after that.

"It was whilst we were rebuilding that the soldiers from Melromarc came. We were overjoyed at first, thinking they were coming to help us rebuild. Instead, they pillaged what remained, killed the few adults that remained and took the children into slavery." My fist clenched at this as I mentally prepared myself for whatever came next, and I was glad I did as she continued. "Myself, Rifana, Keel and many of us were handed over to a fat, blond-haired nobleman who took great pleasure in torturing us. He whipped each of us as we hung from chains, laughing as we cried from the pain, willing for each of us to break, at which point he would get bored and have us killed." As she was speaking, her voice shook and her body trembled as she recalled these all-too-vivid memories. I didn't hesitate, wrapping my arms tightly around her and cuddling her into me, trying my best to comfort her as much as I possibly could.

"B-But I didn't cry. I kept smiling despite the pain, remembering what my parents told me, that if I kept smiling, other people would smile along with me. I shared a cell with Rifana, who suffered as much as I did, and I tried to keep her smiling as much as possible. I kept reassuring her that one day, the Shield-Hero would come and free us and that together, we would rebuild our home and make it a happy place once more. One day, however, the nobleman got bored of my resilience and my unwillingness to break, so he sold me off to that slave-trader. I thought at that point, that my life would be over…but then, just as I had lost all hope, you came and rescued me…and gave me a home once more…"

§

As she finished her heart-wrenching tale, Raphtalia lost her battle against her tears and buried herself in my chest, crying softly to herself for the loss of her parents, her friends and her home. I couldn't do anything but continue to cuddle her, my mind and heart in so much turmoil. Right now, I felt awful that I'd had to make her relive what she went through, my heart was weeping for the suffering that she had gone through and my mind was processing what to do next.

She deserved justice. Her people deserved justice. And all of them deserved to have their home back. It was only right for all they had suffered through. With this resolve, I brought her gently out of my chest, holding on to her shoulders as I made sure she sat upright as I looked directly into her eyes once more, speaking now with absolute feeling and sincerity: "Raphtalia…I am so sorry I had to make you relive all of that. I cannot begin to imagine what suffering you and your people must have gone through. But I swear to you, I will make this right. I will make sure justice is visited upon those who made you and your people suffer, soldiers and noblemen alike. And as for that sick fuck of a nobleman who tortured you…tortured innocent children even!" At these words, my voice shook slightly in rage but I persevered, wanting to get all of this off my chest. "I swear to you, I will make sure he gets the harshest punishment possible for what he put you and all of your friends through. And once all of this is over, I will talk to the Queen and petition for her help in getting your village rebuilt, so that you and your people can have somewhere to live, and that they can have happy lives once more."

"W-Why?" She sniffed, trying and failing again to hold back her tears. "W-why would you do all of that?"

"For you," I replied firmly. "It would all be for you. You are my best friend, my Sword, someone who believed in me from day one, has always been at my side and the person who means more to me than anyone else, in this world and every world hereafter."

"MASTER FERGUS!" She wailed, bursting into tears as she threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my chest as she cuddled tightly into me once more. And once more, I wrapped my arms around her and cuddled her into me again, stroking her hair and doing my best to soothe her as she continued to cry.

We had this pose for a while as Raphtalia continued to cry, giving voice to all of the pain and sadness she had held onto ever since that day when the first Wave came, and I continued to stroke her hair, trying to give her as much comfort as possible. "Hey, Raphtalia…" I murmured after a while. "Seeing as you've told me all about your life, would you like to hear about mine?"

She nodded into my chest, and so as I continued to comfort her, I started telling her the tale of my old life. I told her about my family: my strict father who at the end of the day only wanted the best for me in life. My kind and caring mother, who supported me unconditionally in everything I did, and my elder sister, who wanted to make it big in the finance world and was doing a very good job of it, since before I got summoned here she was on the verge of a major promotion at her current company.

I spoke about the friends I had, about how I didn't have very many due to my introverted nature and my shut-in lifestyle, but even though they were few they were still awesome people, always there for me and making sure I was okay. I also spoke about the people I idolized when growing up, and how their actions and words had both inspired me and shaped my beliefs, convictions and ideals.

I also spoke in detail about the person I had been before I came to this world: how I had been a very quiet and introverted person, not one for discussion and definitely not the sort who tried to seek any form of recognition or spotlight. If anything, as long as I could make a positive difference and impact in the lives of those I cared about I would be happy.

And then I was summoned to this world to fill the role as the Shield-Hero, one of the four Legendary Cardinal Heroes, at which point my life turned completely upside-down, both literally and figuratively. I spoke about how all of the events that happened to me so far, both the good times and the bad times, had helped me mature as a person, and lastly I spoke about meeting all of the people I had met so far, and that despite finding most of them insufferable and a pain the ass to deal with, there were a few who I had learned so much from and were now very special to me, the most special of whom is the one who was currently in my arms in right now.

And bless her heart, despite all of the pain and turmoil inside her heart right now, she listened. She took it all in. And now that we knew each other's stories, I felt that now more than ever we really understood one each other, both in the midst of battle and when we poured our hearts out to one another. At this moment, we really connected.

"Fergus…" she murmured, and as I looked down I saw her lift her eyes and look up at me, tears still falling but a caring smile on her face. "About your old world, your old life…do you miss it? And do you wish you could go back?"

Truth be told, I hadn't given this as much thought as I'd wanted to recently, with everything that happened with the Second Wave, the mystery of Glass and our recent adventure of being on the run with Melty. "Honestly, I haven't been able to think about that recently, with how hectic things have been," I replied truthfully. "Make no mistake, I do miss the people in my old world, my family and friends most of all, but I never thought I'd have been able to make a difference there, no matter what I did. But coming to this world, I've been given the power to make a difference, to help shape a world where everyone is smiling and laughing, where people can live in peace without fear of war, disease or famine, where those in positions of authority use that power for the betterment of the those they are responsible for, rather than abusing it or using it to oppress those they look down upon, and where everyone, regardless of status or rank, can be held accountable for their crimes. I will do everything in my power to make that world a reality, with you, Filo and Melty at my side and alongside those who believe in me."

It was at these words that Raphtalia lifted herself up fully from my chest and proceeded to take my head between my hands as she looked deeply into my eyes. For a few terrifying moments I thought she would try and lean in for a kiss again, but what she said next wiped those thoughts from my mind:

"You promised to bring my abusers and captors to justice, as well as to make the lives of my people better once again, all out of the goodness of your own heart and under no obligation whatsoever. How could I, who am sworn to follow you wherever you go until the end of my days, do any less? And so I swear to you now Fergus, my Shield-Hero and the man I adore, that I will do everything in my power to help you bring the world you desire into reality. I swear to always be at your side, no matter where you go or what you decide to do. And I swear to support you in all of your future hopes and dreams, no matter what they might be and no matter the journey we have to take in order to make them a reality."

I was rendered speechless by her words. I know she had pledged herself to me before, and back then I thought that was the sweetest thing she could have ever done for me, but her words just now had blown that away. She had placed all her faith and all her trust in me and was willing to support me in everything I did, something I had never experienced before, not in this life or in my old one. And it was so touching, and once more I found myself silently thanking every deity in existence for bringing her into my life, and I resolved at that moment to always have her in my life, no matter where I went. I wanted her by my side for the rest of my life, and I would go to any lengths to make that happen.

I leaned forward and, placing my hands on her shoulders, planted a kiss directly on her forehead, conveying all of my feelings for her at this time. "Raphtalia…thank you, just thank you…for everything…and I promise I will do everything in my power to repay your faith in me. I won't ever let you down." I murmured softly

"I know you won't," she replied softly, a warm smile and blush on her face. "You are my hero, now and always, the best person I will ever know."

I gave her another smile as I stood up and went over to the window to check on Filo and Melty. They seemed to be doing okay, Filo now had her arms around Melty and looked to be giving her plenty of comfort. Seeing as they seemed to be alright on their own, I turned back around to face Raphtalia, who was still watching me with a serene smile on her face.

"Do you want to get some rest? After all, we need to take as much of it as we can whilst we have the chance," I asked her.

"I will…but if you don't mind, could you stay with me? I don't want you to leave me right now," she replied hesitantly.

I smiled warmly at her. "You don't ever have to ask Raphtalia," I replied, and that is how we ended up with me sitting back against the bed rest on the very same bed we had sat on, with Raphtalia laying down beside me, her head resting on my chest and an arm draped across my waist with my arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Whilst we were resting, I must have dozed off as well since I was suddenly awoken by the sound of frantic knocking at the door. I motioned Raphtalia, who had woken up alongside me, to wait where she was as I went to the door. I opened it to find one of Van Reichnott's maids on the other side, her expression frantic. "Shield-Hero! Some soldiers from the capital have arrived at the mansion!"

**And with that, chapter 17 ends! I hope you enjoyed reading it. Obviously not as long as the last few chapters, but at the end of the day, whether it's long or short, I don't mind how long it is as long as I get everything I want in it.**

**Obviously, the major change compared to the anime: Raphtalia sharing her past with Fergus. In the anime, we get to see what happens in Raphtalia's past through flashbacks throughout episode 15. But since this story is being told from the perspective of my OC, that was going to be a little harder for me to convey. So I decided to change it drastically so that Raphtalia, who completely trusts Fergus these days, was willing to tell him everything about her past. And now that Fergus knows, he has a concrete objective for the future once all this is over: He is going to give Raphtalia and her people the life back that they once had, no matter what it takes, and out of gratitude for that, Raphtalia swore once again to stand by him as he makes their dreams a reality.**

**Was I inspired a little by the season finale? Maybe, but it strikes me as something Fergus would do. After all, this is another small difference between Fergus and Naofumi. Naofumi fully expects that once the Waves are over, he will go back to his world and as such wants to make sure everything is in place so that everyone can live on when he is gone. Fergus, on the other hand, will do it because it's what he believes is right and because he wants to do it, out of gratitude for all that Raphtalia has done for him.**

**So in the next chapter, we will have the second half of episode 14 as well as episode 15 minus the flashbacks. Depending on how the weekend goes, it might come up a little bit late seeing as it's my birthday weekend this weekend and I do have plans for it. If I can put out the chapter in 4 days I will do so and put it up on July 5th, but if not I will give myself extra time and release it on July 12****th****.**

**Once again, thank you all the reviews, favourites and follows, it is always appreciated. This is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you in the next one!**


	20. Ch 18 - The Sword of the Shield-Hero

**As anime seasons end, new anime begin popping up! That's right, the summer season for anime in 2019 has begun! Even as some of my favourite shows such as Attack on Titan and The Rising of the Shield Hero wrap up their current seasons, we have fresh and exciting new anime series starting up. I've already watched the first episodes of two new shows, Dr Stone and To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts, and I am also tempted to watch Fire Force when that premieres in the next few days. As for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, that's already 12 episodes in and I've only finished episode 3, so I still have to binge that one…so many anime, so little time!**

**Especially as I am also writing this story AND play through the new expansion to Attack on Titan 2, called Final Battle which covers the anime's third season…how will I find time for everything?! Haha**

**DON'T WORRY THOUGH, this story will be my top priority regardless of all the new games and animes series I pick up. I will make time for everything, I am determined! And once again, thank you for all of the love and support, no matter if you are a first-time reader, or someone who has been reading this from the start, or someone who has taken the time to review, favourite, follow or send me a private message. Every show of support is appreciated! **

**Recently someone messaged me to congratulate me on being the first Shield-Hero story to crack 100k words…honestly, and whilst I appreciate the congratulations, that wasn't what I was aiming for when I picked up this story. At the end of the day, I had an idea, and I wanted to bring it to life, and it has evolved from there and I am enjoying the journey of our AU Shield Hero so much now! **

**With all that of the way, onto chapter 18, where we meet Idol Rabier and confront Raphtalia's past. I hope you enjoy reading it. As usual, the mandatory disclaimer that I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 18 - The Sword of the Shield-Hero

"Shield-Hero! Soldiers from the capital have arrived at the mansion!"

Both Raphtalia and I were stunned at her words. We knew the soldiers were close but we didn't think they'd get here so quickly! Had Reichnott ratted us out? Or did they just get lucky?

"What on earth are they doing here?" I asked for clarification.

"A noble from the neighbouring village has marched his soldiers right into the mansion and has accused our master of harbouring the Shield-Hero! They then had him arrested when he wouldn't talk, and there are now soldiers currently in the mansion looking for you. You have to leave, NOW!" The maid replied frantically.

Raphtalia and I shared a quick glance, and seeing that she nodded as well, we decided to take the maid at her word. As we dashed out of the room and down the winding corridors, I silently thanked Reichnott for his sacrifice and vowed to pay him back one day. As we were running, a nasty thought came to me.

"Excuse me Miss, but do you know where are friends, the two small girls who came with us, are?" I asked but I was instantly shushed by the maid as we came up to a corner of the passageway, flattening ourselves against it as we heard soldiers coming down the corridor next to us.

"Have you found the Devil of the Shield?" One of them spoke up as we listened intently.

"Not yet," was the reply.

"Keep looking, they can't have gone far!" The first voice spoke again, and as they disappeared down the corridor, the maid whispered that she knew another way out of the mansion and motioned for us to follow her once more.

After a heart-stopping minute or two of navigating corridors and avoiding the various guards searching for us, we ended up in the kitchen area. The maid quickly motioned us towards one of the kitchen cupboards, saying we should be safe there. I hoped she was right as, barely a few seconds after Raphtalia and I had sequestered ourselves in the cupboard as the maid returned to her work, a pair of soldiers barged into the kitchen.

"Just what on earth do you think you are doing?" One of the soldiers asked rudely as they approached the maid, who was managing to keep her cool despite the situation.

"I am just preparing the mid-day meal," she replied sternly, but her answer didn't seem to satisfy them. The other soldier grabbed her roughly, yelling at her to forget about that and to come with them. In the darkness of the cupboard, I snarled quietly in anger at their behaviour and was just about to burst out and confront the guards when all of a sudden a stern voice rang out from behind them:

"STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AT ONCE!" It was Melty! The soldiers instantly froze and turned around to see a furious-looking Melty, her hands on her hips and frown plastered across her face as she continued: "I am Princess Melty Melromarc, Crown Princess of Melromarc, and I command you to take your hands off of that lady at once!"

The soldiers looked between each other nervously. "What shall we do?" The one on the right muttered.

"We have our orders…but she is the princess of Melromarc…" the other replied warily.

"Well well well, if it isn't Princess Melty?" A sneering voice suddenly called out, and the instant we heard that voice, I felt Raphtalia's entire body stiffen. As I looked over towards her, I saw her eyes narrow as she started growling, her tail now completely on end and her hand moving towards her sword. Thinking fast, I instantly used my right hand to cover her sword hand and my left hand to cover her mouth so that she didn't give away where we were. "Don't do anything rash, let's just wait and see how this play," I whispered in response to Raphtalia's questioning glare.

Just as I was calming her down, I heard a new pair of footsteps close by as the owner of the sneering voice revealed itself as a fat, blonde-haired nobleman with a blond moustache that looked as though it had been cut into two smaller parts. As he entered the room, he bowed in Melty's direction, a greedy look on his eyes as he continued in his sneering voice: "Your Highness, I am so glad that you are alright. As soon as I heard you were here, I rushed right over to make sure you were safe."

"Idol Rabier," Melty spoke in a clipped tone as she turned her glare to him, causing Raphtalia to growl even more fiercely, though thankfully it was muffled by my hand over her mouth. "I must wonder why you would be so concerned for my safety. Correct me if I am wrong, but you have had many disagreements with my father in the past…"

"That is true," Rabier interjected, which didn't placate Melty in any way as she continued: "And if I'm correct in assuming that these soldiers are under your command, I must ask you to order them to withdraw from these premises."

"I would be more than happy to comply with your command, but before I do so, I must demand that you tell me where the Devil of the Shield is," Rabier replied, his smarmy grin only widening as he spoke.

"The Shield-Hero has already left," Melty answered without hesitation. "I encouraged him and his companions to escape not long before you arrived. He will now be far away from here, so it would be pointless for you and your men to chase after him."

As Rabier's grin faded, replaced with an irritated snarl, I couldn't help but marvel at Malty's coolness and quick thinking under so much pressure, as well as being touched at the lengths she was going to keep the rest of us safe. From beside me, Raphtalia had finally calmed down as Melty continued to speak in her clipped tone, making sure Rabier knew exactly who was in charge here:

"As for me, I intend to return the capital as swiftly as possible and explain everything to my father, as well as do everything in my power to make sure the Shield-Hero's good name is cleared. I demand that you make the necessary arrangements."

"_Way to show him who's boss,_" I thought to myself smugly as I watched Rabier squirm slightly, but it didn't take long for him to regain his composure. "Of course Princess, I will begin making preparations immediately," he replied with a bow, the same smug sneer from before on his face. "If you please, allow me to escort you back to my mansion where you will be more comfortable until we can take you back to the capital." Melty nodded in agreement and, as she allowed herself to be escorted out by Rabier's soldiers, she turned her head in my direction, shaking her head once as she left. I instantly understood what she meant, that I was not to come out and interfere with what was going on.

It pained me to watch Melty be taken away by such a disgusting character, but I had to trust in her that she knew what she was doing. As Rabier and the soldiers left, we remained where we were for a few minutes, during which time Raphtalia's entire body relaxed and her hand came off her sword.

§

After I was satisfied that I had given the soldiers enough time to leave the mansion, I opened the kitchen cupboard we were hiding in and clambered out, before turning to Raphtalia and offering a hand to help her out, which she took with thanks.

"Are you alright?" I asked concernedly, noting she was still slightly on edge from what had just happened.

She nodded in response. "I am fine Master. And thank you for keeping me calm back then, otherwise, I would have done something rash and ruined the sacrifice Melty was making for us."

I smiled gratefully at her, relieved that she had understood what Melty had done for us. "Trust me, we're going to make sure her sacrifice was worth it. Once we find Filo, we're going to head to that noble's mansion and rescue Melty."

Raphtalia nodded determinedly in agreement, and with that we started combing through every room on the ground floor, calling out for Filo and yet getting no response. It was the same story on the first floor, despite our constant and loud calls.

"Where is she?" Raphtalia asked me as we came out of the bedroom where we had been staying, her voice slightly breathless from all the calling she had done for Filo. "I hope she hasn't left the mansion already to chase after Melty."

"There's only one way to know for sure," I responded, sighing as I realised what I had to do. I had sworn that I would never ever use the slave crests to force Raphtalia or Filo to do anything against their will, but this was a desperate situation. We needed to find Filo as soon as possible so that we could go after Melty. "Raphtalia," I continued as I turned to face her, "I ask your forgiveness for what I must do. I hope you understand."

Raphtalia nodded in response, taking one of my hands in hers and squeezing it. "I understand Master Fergus, I know you wouldn't do this unless you had no other choice. And I am sure Filo will understand as well."

"I hope so." With this, I took in a deep breath before I loudly called out: "FILO! Get out here now, that's an order!"

A few seconds of silence followed my order before we clearly heard the sound of a slave crest activating and a loud cry of pain from Filo coming from one of the rooms upstairs. "FILO!" We both called out as we dashed over to the stairs leading up the second floor, following the sounds of Filo's cries which led us to one of the storage rooms, where we found Filo lying flat on her back, writhing in pain as the glowing slave crest pulsed away.

"Master, why did you have to be such a meanie?" Filo moaned as we came over to her. In response, I knelt down and gathered her in my arms, giving her a reassuring cuddle as I responded: "I'm sorry about that Filo, but we were getting worried when you didn't respond to us."

"What were you even doing up here Filo?" Raphtalia asked.

"Mel and I were playing hide-and-seek," Filo explained. "Mel had told me that it was really important for me to hide somewhere where I couldn't be found and not come out no matter what."

"_You really are amazing Melty, going to such lengths to keep all three of us safe. I swear I will repay all the sacrifices you have made for us,_" I swore to myself as Filo looked first to me, then Raphtalia before looking all around us as if searching for her friend. "Master, Raphtalia, where is Mel?" She asked.

Raphtalia and I looked at each other nervously before I turned back to Filo, putting my hands on her shoulders firmly and looking her square in the face as I replied: "Filo, Melty has been taken away by the soldiers who were just at the mansion, but not before making sure we were all safe."

Filo gasped in horror. "Master! We have to go and rescue Mel!" She cried, struggling as hard as she could to try and break my grip, her expression and voice frantic.

"FILO! Listen to me!" I responded sharply. "Listen, Filo, I know you are upset, and I know that you are worried for you friend but LISTEN. TO. ME! We are going to rescue her, I promise you. After all, I swore on my honour that no harm would come to Melty as long as she was under my protection, and I fully intend to keep that. But we cannot act rashly, otherwise, we will end up getting captured and wasting the sacrifice she made for us. We need to come up with a plan, and the first part of that is finding out where that noble is…"

"I know where he is," Raphtalia spoke up quietly, and as I turned to face her, I saw her face looking down on the floor, her body trembling.

"Raphtalia…" I started worriedly, but she spoke up again, this time in a firmer tone: "I know where that nobleman is, and how to get there."

"_How on earth does she know that?_" I thought to myself, before suddenly remembering a snippet of the conversation we had earlier, when she had spoken of the person torturing her and her friends: "_…many of us were handed over to a fat, blond-haired nobleman who took great pleasure in torturing us_."

"_No…surely it's not…_" I realised as I stood and went over to where Raphtalia was standing, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder as I asked her quietly: "Raphtalia…is that man the same one who…?" She nodded in response.

"_Damn that bastard! I will make him face justice for what he did, and for taking Melty!_" I swore fiercely to myself as I looked between both of the girls. "Melty has sacrificed so much for us because she trusted us, because she believed in us. She's one of us now, and we never abandon our party members. I'm going to do everything in my power to rescue her. Are you both with me?"

"Count me in!" Filo replied instantly, her expression fierce, as Raphtalia looked up at me and gave a determined nod.

§

As we made our way to Rabier's village, night had well and truly fallen, which we used to our advantage to advance undetected. Eventually the three of us, with Filo back in her Filolial form, gathered on a small rise that overlooked the village, which in terms of it's size was a smaller version of the capital with most of the buildings clumped together, but instead of the royal palace, dominating the landscape was a large plateau on top of which was a large and lavish looking mansion.

"Is this the place?" I muttered to Raphtalia, fiddling as I attached my arm-blade gauntlet once again. She nodded back, but I could see she was visibly trembling. "Raphtalia…are you scared?"

"I-Yes…I am scared Master Fergus," she responded, her voice trembling as much as she was. "I'm terrified that…if I run into that man again, I'll lose control of myself and do something foolish."

Seeing how terrified she was I reached over and took her hands firmly in my own, which caused her to turn her gaze to me. "You aren't the same person you were when you last came here," I spoke firmly, giving her hands a reassuring squeeze. "Instead of the terrified little girl you were back then, this time around you are here as the Sword of the Shield-Hero, a strong person in your own right, and a much better person then that scumbag will ever be. And no matter what happens, Filo and I are here for you. We've got your back, now and always."

Her eyes started tearing up in gratitude but she quickly wiped them away as she responded: "Thank you Master Fergus, and you too Filo. With you two by my side, I am now ready to face my past."

I smiled warmly and gave her a determined nod in response, and just as we turned our gazes back to the village, my ears picked up cries and shouts originating in the distance, and as I looked over to where the sounds were coming from, my eyes could make out the outline of a small crowd of demi-humans, wielding torches and pitchforks as they made a loud commotion at what looked like the entrance to the mansion. And from the snippets I could hear, it seemed they were there to demand the release of their lord.

"They must be the demi-humans from Reichnott's village demanding for his release." Raphtalia realised.

"Don't blame them in the slightest, he's a good man. If we can we will rescue him too, but rescuing Melty is still a primary objective." With these words I held out my Shield, switching it to the Shield of the First Avenger. "For now, the rioters are providing us with the perfect distraction. Whilst they keep the guards occupied, we will sneak around the side of the mansion and break in that way. Are you two with me?"

"Always Master Fergus!" "Let's go rescue Mel!" Came the cries from my two companions. With that Raphtalia and I clambered onto Filo's back. "Let's go, Filo!" I called

"OKAY!" With this determined cry, Filo took off at a sprint, using the rooftops below us as short-cuts which enabled us to make our way to the base of the plateau quickly. As luck would have it, we found several outcroppings and inlets going up the side of the plateau which Filo was able to make very good use of, propelling us up and finally over the walls guarding the mansion. Our surprise entry caught the nearby guards flat-footed for a few seconds, which was all we needed to sprint away from them up towards the main courtyard of the mansion. However, it didn't take them long to start pursuing us.

"Filo! Keep the guards behind us out of the courtyard! Raphtalia and I will take care of the ones inside and rescue Melty! You have my permission to not hold back!" I commanded.

"RIGHT!" The Filolial cried in response, and as we closed in on the entryway Raphtalia and I leapt off of Filo's back, using the momentum generated by her sprint to leap over the guards directly in front of us. As we landed, Raphtalia launched herself at one of the guards blocking our path, using her blade to cut him down, whilst I rammed my Shield into the other guard's chest, and as he bent over from getting the breath knocked out of him, swung my Shield at his head, sending him flying into the nearby wall, knocking him out in the process. We then began sprinting into the courtyard as Filo placed herself between us and our pursuers, using a combination of her talons and wind magic to keep them at bay.

As we entered the courtyard, my eyes immediately spotted a rather peculiar sight dominating it: a strange-looking obelisk with ritualistic symbols carved into it. As I wondered what the hell something like that was doing here, I heard Raphtalia gasp out loud. Turning to her, I saw that she had stopped in her tracks, her eyes taking in everything around her. "Are you okay Raphtalia?" I called out.

"I'm okay, just got some flashbacks from my time here," she responded, shaking her head back and forth to try and compose herself. As she was doing so, I heard a loud crash from behind me. I turned around to see Filo bursting through the walls, a cry for Melty on her lips.

"Keep going Filo you're doing great!" I called out enthusiastically, watching her toss aside a few more guards with her wind magic. I would quite happily have watched her carry on but I was drawn away as Raphtalia called me over from another area within the courtyard. As I dashed over to stand beside her, I saw her motionlessly peering down a set of stairs that led into a basement complex. It then dawned on me what those stairs might lead to, and as I turned to Raphtalia, I put my hand on her shoulder as I asked: "Is that where you were…?"

"Yes," she replied shortly, her sword hand trembling. No doubt she was recalling some of what she had suffered during her confinement here. I gave the shoulder I was holding onto a reassuring squeeze. "We have to go Raphtalia, Melty is counting on us," I said softly.

"Wait, Master!" She cried, looking at me frantically. "There could still be some of my people down there, we have to rescue them!"

"And we will Raphtalia," I responded firmly, placing my other hand on her other shoulder and turning her to face me fully. "But Melty is our priority. Once we rescue her and deal with Rabier, we'll come straight back here and see if there's anyone we can rescue."

She looked between the stairs and me, still hesitant to leave. "Listen to me," I continued, reaching to take her face between my hands and forcing her to look into my eyes, an action which caused her to blush once more. "Remember what I promised you back in Reichnott's mansion. I swore I would do whatever I could for you and your people, and I fully intend to keep that. After all, have I ever lied to you?"

She gave one more look towards the flight of the stairs, before turning her gaze back to me, her eyes set in determination. "Never, Master Fergus. I trust you completely."

"Good." With that, I let go of her and proceeded to dash back towards the main body of the courtyard, with the sound of her footsteps indicating she was right behind me as another set of guards came out from the mansion to keep us at bay. As we charged to intercept them, I suddenly realised that even though we knew Melty was here, we had no idea exactly WHERE in the mansion she would be right now.

"_And the only ones who do know would be the guards, but I highly doubt they will tell me willingly. I guess I'll just have to use a more forceful method to make one of them tell me,_" I cursed quietly to myself as I changed my Shield into the Viper Chimera Shield, quickly ordering Raphtalia to deal with all but one of the guards, pointing out the guard furthest on the right and telling her to leave him to me. Without hesitation, she darted in and launched several quick attacks at the group of guards, successfully drawing them away from my target.

As my chosen target and I closed in on each other, he let out a yell and raised his blade to strike, exactly as I wanted him to. I blocked his blade with my Shield, whilst at the same time activating the Shield's unique skill: Venomous Fang. This caused the snake heads on the Shield to come to life, reaching over and sinking their teeth into a gap in the soldier's armour, causing him to fall on the ground, clutching his arm and crying out in pain. As he did so, I fished inside my pack and pulled out a small vial.

"I've just injected you with a lethal dose of poison. If you don't have it treated shortly, it will kill you," I stated coldly, making sure not to betray my inner disgust at what as I was doing as I held out the vial in my hand so that he could clearly see it. "I, however, have the antidote which can cure you, and I am more than prepared to give it to you, but I need you to do something for me in return. Take us to where Rabier is holding the princess, and it's all yours."

§

My gamble paid off. Turns out pain and the fear of death is enough of a motivator to get people to do what you want. The guard quickly agreed and, as soon as Raphtalia and Filo had taken care of the rest of the guards, he led us through the mansion. And as we turned a corner down another long passageway, we saw a guard poking his head through a set of double-doors, yelling at the person inside: "The Devil of the Shield has entered the mansion and is heading this way!"

We heard spluttering from the other side of the doors which we instantly recognised as Rabier's, as well as a gasp of astonishment from Melty. Hearing her friend so close by spurred Filo on, and with fire in her eyes, she ran right past us and, without stopping, burst through the double-doors, taking out both the doors and the guard in the process. "MEL! Are you okay?" I heard her cry.

"I'm okay Filo-AH!" I heard Melty respond before she cried out in pain, the source of which became quickly apparent. "Don't you move another inch Filolial, or I will cut her throat and send her head rolling!"

"_He would dare harm the Princess?_" I thought angrily to myself, Raphtalia growling from beside me as we reached the remains of the door. "Well then, since I'm not a Filolial, you won't mind if I approached instead?" I called out in response as we made our way through the smoke into the room. My eyes instantly spotted Rabier, who was holding tightly onto Melty with one hand whilst his other hand was clutching a sword that was currently held across Melty's throat.

I didn't hesitate. "AIR STRIKE SHIELD!" I cried, which spawned an ethereal Shield in between Melty and Rabier, forcing Rabier to let her go. As Melty dashed over to us, Filo made sure Rabier didn't follow as she kicked him square in his fat chest, sending him flying into the nearby wall.

"Are you okay Mel?" I asked her as I chucked the antidote vial I had over to the soldier I had promised it to, who took it gratefully before fleeing the scene.

"I'm fine Fergus, but what are you all doing here?" She asked.

"I swore I wouldn't let you come to any harm remember?" I reminded her. "Besides, you're our friend, why wouldn't we come and rescue you?"

"And waste all the sacrifices I made for you in the process…" she muttered under her breath before giving me a grateful look. " But thank you, Fergus, honestly. I really appreciate it."

I only nodded in response, my gaze narrowing as I looked over at Rabier, who was slowly struggling to his feet and calling out curses on all of us, but especially on the Devil of the Shield. "Idol Rabier," I said in a tone of disgust. "I have someone here who would like a word with you."

As Rabier looked over at me in confusion, Raphtalia walked out from behind me and slowly started approaching Rabier, drawing her sword as she did so, which in turn caused Rabier to start lashing out with his whip, striking her in several places including her arm, leg and her cheek. However, she kept moving forward, completely unfazed by his actions.

"RAPHTALIA!" Filo cried out in worry, but I put a hand to her chest, shaking my head. "This is something she has to do herself," I said to her quietly. She backed down at my words, and yet her eyes continued to watch Raphtalia with concern as Rabier continued to strike her again and again with his whip to no effect. As she stood over him, her eyes looking down at him with pure hatred, he swung his whip at her one final time. This time, however, she used her sword to block the blow before proceeding to knock it out of his fingers, which caused Rabier to back up against the wall in fear as she then proceeded to hold the tip of her blade to his throat.

"Spare me, PLEASE! I beg you not to kill me!" Rabier wailed, his usual smugness giving way to absolute terror as he saw his life flash before his eyes. "I'll give you anything you want, just please spare my life!"

"_How does it feel for the boot to be on the other foot, you pathetic coward!_" I thought angrily to myself as Raphtalia spoke for the first time:

"So many demi-humans begged you for their lives, and yet you didn't spare them," she murmured quietly, her voice trembling once more in anger. "So why on earth should I spare you, especially after everything you did to us?!"

I watched Rabier's eyes widen in recognition as he remembered who she was. "Look, I did all of your kind a favour! If I hadn't taken you in, out of the goodness of my heart, you would have all been killed by the soldiers! You should be thanking me instead of threatening me!" He tried to bargain, but this didn't affect Raphtalia whatsoever.

"SHUT! UP!" She screamed, her sword hand trembling. "Do you really think I could ever forgive you, after all of the pain and torture you put me and my friends through?! No, I will never, ever forgive you!" With these words, she raised her blade high over her head, preparing to bring it down as Rabier fell to his knees, prostrating himself as he continued to plead for his life.

"Raphtalia, stop," I said softly, unwilling to see my dearest friend go through with this. "Even though you told me about what happened to you, I cannot even begin to imagine the suffering that this bastard put you and your friends through. However, do you honestly believe that killing him will make all of this go away?"

My words caused her to hesitate, allowing me to continue: "Remember what I told you before we came here: You are not the same person that this sicko tortured, and you are not the same small girl that I first met, crying, starved and dressed in nothing but rags. You have become so much stronger since then, not only with your sword but as a person. Despite everything you have been through, you've developed such a strong personality and such a kind heart. You do not hesitate to speak your mind, nor to stand up and defend those you care about. You are very special to a lot of people: Erhard, Melty and Filo in particular. And most importantly, you are my best friend and the most important person in my life."

I took a deep breath, allowing myself enough time to process my final words: "And I know this because I have watched you grow from then until now. We have been beside each other ever since then, and I am so proud of the person you have become. And it is because of that that I can't let you go through with this. Killing him will not bring you the closure you seek, it will only prove that you define yourself by your past life and that you aren't prepared to move on. But most of all, it will undo everything you have done and everything you are, and I refuse to let that happen, not when you have come so far."

Every word I had spoken had been from the bottom of my heart, and I meant them fully. It was now up to Raphtalia, and as I watched, hoping and praying she would heed my advice, I could see her whole body trembling as she tried to process what the right thing to do was. And much to my relief, she eventually lowered her blade, but not before leaving Rabier with a few parting words, spoken in the same angry voice from earlier: "You are the worst human being I have ever known, a monster who killed my people and put them through hell. For those crimes, and for threatening the life of Melty, my friend, I will never, ever forgive you. But Fergus is right, if I struck you down, I would become no better than you are, and I refuse to let that happen, not after everything I have been through to get to this point. I am proud of the person I have become, and I will not let you take that away from me."

Raphtalia's words caused Melty to let out a sigh of relief as Filo beamed at her friend. As for me, I wore a proud smile as I came up behind Raphtalia, putting a hand on her shoulder. At my touch, she turned around and embraced me, holding onto me in relief. "You did the right thing Raphtalia, and I am so proud of you, more than I could possibly ever express," I murmured softly, burying my face in her hair. "You've done what you needed to do. Let me take care of the rest." She nodded into my chest at my words before pulling back, giving me a dazzling smile before she went over and joined the others, where she was wrapped in warm hugs from both Filo and Melty.

As she left my side, I turned my gaze to Rabier, my eyes narrowing dangerously as he continued to whimper, still prostrating himself and begging for his life. "You are the scum of the earth, the lowest of the low," I growled, disgust lacing my voice. "For the crime of torturing and killing demi-humans, most of them children, you deserve nothing less than death. However, death is too kind of a punishment for you. You deserve to suffer for the rest of your life for what you have done. And so Idol Rabier, I hereby place you under arrest. I intend to drag you before the Queen, who will make sure you face justice for everything you have done."

My words caused Rabier to look up, his face etched with fury as he reached his right hand into his jacket and pulled out a familiar rosary, which he proceeded to hold up in front of him as he snarled: "Filthy Devil! Damn demi-human sympathiser! For all of your crimes, God will deliver righteous justice upon you!" With these words, he leapt to his feet with a sudden burst of energy and, drawing a hidden blade with his left hand, proceeded to swing it towards my chest. I lowered my Shield in response and managed to block the blow easily.

"You just blew your last chance for mercy," I stated coldly as Raphtalia moved beside me once more and, with a fierce cry, stabbed Rabier through the chest with her mana-infused blade, which caused Rabier to stumble backward as he continued to curse us. But as he did so, he stumbled backwards over his discarded whip and tumbled backwards out of the nearby window, falling to the ground below where he landed with a loud THUMP!

I wandered over to the window and peered down, watching as some of the guards rushed over upon seeing their master's body. "It would seem God has delivered his justice after all," I murmured. After a few seconds, I turned back round to face the others, just in time see Raphtalia, her face plastered with shock, stumble backwards before falling back plump on her bum, her whole body trembling as she struggled to process what she had just done.

"Are you okay Raphtalia?" Filo cried out worriedly as I dashed to her side, kneeling down and holding her up so that she didn't collapse entirely.

"I-I'm so sorry M-Master…I-I tried to do the right thing but…"

"Shush Raphtalia," I murmured, placing a finger on her lips as I held her close to me. "You DID do the right thing, and that's all that matters. He brought his own death upon himself." Raphtalia visibly relaxed at my words as she cuddled into me.

"I'm in your debt Shield-Hero. Because you came when you did, you saved my life." We all looked up at these words, all four of us recognising that voice. And sure enough, a badly bruised Van Reichnott was standing at the door, but even as he struggled to hold himself upright, the same soft smile was there upon his face. He was alive!

"REICHNOTT!" Melty cried as she ran over to her friend, casting healing spells as she did so before throwing herself around his middle, hugging him warmly. "I'm so glad you are okay!"

I smiled at the scene before me, both at what I was seeing and in relief due to seeing Van Reichnott alive. He had been so nice and accommodating to us, and had then suffered a great deal without revealing our location. Just like Melty, he had sacrificed a great deal to keep us safe. "I am so glad to see you safe Reichnott," I spoke up as I got to my feet, pulling Raphtalia up with me as I did so. "And I apologise from the bottom of my heart for everything you have suffered through on my behalf."

Once more, Reichnott waved me off, that same warm smile he constantly wore still on his face despite the pain he had been through: "It's like I said when we first met Shield-Hero: Any friend of Princess Melty is a friend to me, and besides, it was the right thing to do. Now then, I suggest we all get out of here, quickly."

I nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. But before we leave, there is one final thing we must do." With these words I looked at Raphtalia, who upon feeling my gaze returned it, giving me a determined nod.

Just as we were leaving the room, my eyes caught sight of a rather peculiar looking Shield hanging on the far side of the room. Rather than one complete Shield, it seemed to be a Shield divided into two halves, each of them a dull grey colour and depicting a kneeling figure facing outward. Curious, I went over and held up my Shield to them, which resulted in a tool-tip showing up in my field of view. The Shields were labelled as "Left Greatshield" and "Right Greatshield" respectively, with the tool-tip going on to explain that if I copied them both, I would be granted the complete version of the Shield, appropriately named "Complete Greatshield" which would grant me a powerful defensive ability.

My curiosity completely piqued now, I proceeded to copy both Shields. As I finished, another tool-tip appeared in front of me, showing the design of my new Shield as well as providing an explanation of the new skill I had acquired. Safe to say I was absolutely delighted with what I saw, and as I left the room after the others, I found myself looking forward to being able to test out this ability at the earliest possible moment.

§

We eventually all made our way back outside, where Raphtalia led us over to the top of the stairs she had shown me earlier. "Down here, this is where Rabier tortured and killed many demi-humans…most of whom where children," Raphtalia explained in a trembling voice as all five of us stood at the top of the stairs, peering down them.

"How do you know this?" Reichnott asked.

Raphtalia bowed her head and whispered quietly in response: "Because I was one of them…and one of the very few to have survived." This drew astonished gasps from everyone else, whilst I put a comforting hand on Raphtalia's shoulder.

"I advise everyone to steel yourselves and prepare for the worst. There's no telling what we may find down there, but if we are fortunate there may be some survivors that we can rescue," I addressed the group at large before looking back to Raphtalia, my next words for her alone: "Are you sure you can do this."

She nodded in response: "I have to." And without another word, she started heading down into the basement. I followed on directly behind, followed by Melty, Filo and Reichnott bringing up the rear.

As we got to the bottom of the stairs we found a grated metal gate, which opened without resistance when Raphtalia pushed it. As we walked on through and into the dungeon area itself, we started to pass by a large number of prison cells. I took a good look at each one as I passed them, spotting all sorts of equipment inside of them: torture devices, handcuffs hanging from the ceiling, various small tools used for torture including stocks, thumbscrews and buckets that were no doubt used for dunking the victims, whips, chains, iron chairs and every possible torture device and implement you could think of. From behind me, I could hear Melty trying her best not to vomit as Filo consoled her and asked if she was okay.

But how could we be okay with what we were seeing? This was barbaric, the sort of torture methods used for the interrogation of major criminals, yet Rabier had seen fit to use them for his own sick purposes. I couldn't even begin to imagine what any of the people who had been tortured here had been through.

And as I continued to watch Raphtalia, who stopped at various points on our route, no doubt remembering exactly what had happened in each place that she stopped at, my heart was threatening to break at the thought of what she must have suffered down here, all the pain she must have gone through as well as the agony of hearing her friends and loved ones scream through all the horrors that were being inflicted upon them. And as she stopped to kneel by a particular cell, I stood directly behind her and swore to myself once more that I would make this right. That I would fight to make a world where no child would suffer, and where demi-humans could leave in peace and be treated with the respect they deserved.

"We've found a survivor!" Reichnott called from up ahead, as he and the girls had gone on further into the dungeon whilst Raphtalia and I had stopped. Hearing this, I shook Raphtalia out of her reverie and together we dashed down to where Reichnott was peering into one of the cells. As we looked in ourselves, we saw a demi-human girl, who had long purple hair and was looking thin and malnourished, sprawled on the floor, but at the very least she was breathing!

I held my Shield up to the door of the cell, using its power to release the lock. As I did so, Reichnott rushed in and gathered up the demi-human in his arms, reassuring her that her suffering was over and she would be safe now. I was about to go over and assist when I heard Melty call out that she had found a survivor as well!

Leaving Reichnott to take care of the survivor he had found, Raphtalia and I dashed over to where Melty was waving at us frantically. I did the same as I had with the previous cell, using my Shield's power to unlock it before Raphtalia dashed in and held up the figure, this time a demi-human boy with brown hair. Melty quickly joined her and started using healing magic to treat the worst of his wounds as well as lessen the exhaustion and pain he was no doubt feeling. I let out a sigh of relief as she worked, glad more than anything that we had found some survivors. And the relief just kept coming!

"Master! I've found another one who's still breathing!" Once more, Raphtalia and I left the demi-human survivor in the care of our friend as once more we ran over to another cell where Filo was waiting for us. This time, however, the survivor, a silver-haired demi-human boy, was cuffed up by one hand to the walls of the cell and, judging from the sounds of their raggedy breathing, they weren't going to be able to hold out for much longer.

As I opened the cell door, however, the figure raised it's head wearily and managed to look at us with dull blue eyes, which drew a resulting gasp of "KEEL!" from Raphtalia, who dashed into the cell the moment I'd unlocked it. As she started fussing over the figure, I remembered Raphtalia telling me about her two best friends, Rifana and Keel, and about how Keel had been so energetic and full of life, and it absolutely sickened me to see the state he was currently in.

"Keel! I'm so glad you're alive!" Raphtalia sobbed as she stood up and, drawing her sword, cut the chain holding Keel's hand to the ceiling, allowing him to move it freely.

"W-Who are you? And how do you know who I am?" Keel spoke up in a weary rasp, obviously unable to recognise his childhood friend.

"Don't you recognise me? It's me, Raphtalia!" She replied, tears of happiness falling rapidly from her eyes. For my part, I was just watching everything happen from the cell entrance, trusting that Raphtalia would get through to him.

"N-No, it can't be! That's impossible, stay away from me, whoever you are!" Keel cried in panic, backing up as much as he could against the wall to try and get away from Raphtalia, who instead of panicking and making any sudden movements, instead just knelt down in front of Keel and smiled at him as she began talking:

"Keel, do you remember the time you went diving, and nearly drowned, and how we had to rush back and find Sadina so that she could come and rescue you?" Keel started at this, no doubt recalling this as she continued: "And do you also remember the time that you ate a poisonous mushroom and got an upset stomach as a result? Even though you were in so much pain, you begged us not to tell anyone!"

As she carried on, encouraged by the recognition slowly forming on Keel's face, she then spoke about the time after the first Wave, when she tried to rally the surviving villagers to rebuild and how she had been so happy when he had spoken out in support for her, As she was talking, I heard footsteps from behind me as Melty joined us. I stepped forward into the cell, allowing both her and Filo to watch what was going on.

"Raphtalia! It really is you! Please tell me I'm not dreaming, that you really are here!" Keel cried out at last, his eyes now swimming with tears too. Elated by his reaction, Raphtalia closed the distance between them and wrapped him in a warm embrace, all the while crying out in relief that he was okay. I heard a sob from beside me and, looking over, saw Melty wipe a tear of happiness from her eyes, whilst Filo was bouncing up and down, beaming from ear to ear at the sight of Raphtalia's joy. As for myself, I was struggling to hold back tears of joy myself as I allowed myself to share in my best friend's happiness at seeing her best friend alive.

After their long hug, and straight after separating, Keel's gaze went from Raphtalia to over her shoulder as he spotted the other people in the cell with them. "Raphtalia, who are these people here with you?" He asked warily.

"It's okay Keel, they are with me," Raphtalia replied softly, a warm smile on her face. "As a matter of fact, I'm travelling alongside the Shield-Hero." Keel's eyes widened at her words.

"The Shield-Hero? He's here? He really exists?!" I couldn't help but chuckle at the bewildered look on Keel's face as I chose this time to make my entrance, going over to the pair and kneeling down next to them.

"I really do exist Keel," I spoke up, humour lacing my voice as Keel's eyes only continued to widen. "My name is Fergus Ward, the Shield-Hero, and the blonde-haired girl with me is called Filo and standing next to her is Melty. Raphtalia has told me a lot about you and all the good times you shared growing up. It's nice to finally meet you, and I am very glad to see that you are alive."

As Keel continued to look on in amazement, I gently reached out and took hold of the arm that had been cuffed to the wall and began casting some healing spells. It took a short while, but eventually, all the scars and scratches faded from view, much to everyone's relief. "You really are as amazing as the stories make you out to be," Keel spoke up in awe before succumbing to a coughing fit, yet managed to retain enough strength to wave Raphtalia off as she touched his shoulder in concern. "If Rifana were still here, she would have been as happy as I am to meet you too."

At the mention of Rifana, Raphtalia's eyes widened in fear and before any of us could say anything, she leapt up and dashed out of the cell. As she did so, I suddenly realised that Keel had used the past tense when referring to Raphtalia's other childhood friend, and a sudden, horrible thought came to me as I processed this. "You two, look after Keel!" I said rapidly as I jumped up and ran in the same direction Raphtalia had disappeared in.

However, as I was running, I suddenly heard a loud wail of grief followed by the sounds of crying coming from a cell not too far away. Steeling myself for what I was about to see, I entered the cell, eyes widening with horror as I took in the sight of Raphtalia, who had fallen to her knees and was crying her eyes out over a small skeleton, which, judging by her reaction, were all that remained of her childhood friend, Rifana.

Any words of comfort I had died on my tongue. Nothing I could possibly say would make this okay. All I could do was gently make my way over to Raphtalia's side and, kneeling down, put a comforting hand on her shoulder as I bowed my head, silently mourning for her best friend as she continued to cry her eyes out, my heart breaking more and more at every cry that came from her lips, even more so because I knew there was nothing more I could do.

As minutes passed, and as Raphtalia continued to cry and as I continued to silently give her support, I was only dimly aware of the others entering my cell. In fact, my first clue that they were was the sob that came from Filo. "How…how could we have let such monstrous deeds go on unabated?" I heard Melty softly whisper.

"This isn't the only place where this happens," came Reichnott's reply, his usually smooth voice mixed with sadness at the heartbreaking scene in front of him. "All across the country demi-humans are treated this way. And is exactly the reason why I and many others, including the recently deceased Lord of Seaetto, have tried to do whatever we can to make their lives better so that this sort of thing doesn't continue…"

"I-I'm so sorry everyone," Raphtalia quietly spoke up, her words punctuated with cries. "I-I'm so sorry, that you have to see me like this…weak, useless, a sorry excuse for a living being. I'm such a failure, I couldn't even protect the ones I cared about! If only I hadn't been so weak and powerless, if I had been stronger back then…I could have saved everyone! But I didn't, I couldn't…I failed…and I hate myself for it…"

"That's not true Raphtalia!" Keel spoke up, and as I looked around I saw him struggling to hold himself up, leaning on Van Reichnott as the other two demi-humans, who were standing next to him, nodded in agreement. "You've saved us, and it was all thanks to you! The only reason we held out as long as we did was because you were always smiling, despite everything you went through, and that encouraged us to keep smiling as well!"

Raphtalia only shook her head at Keel's words, tears still falling as she continued to mourn over Rifana's remains with her head bowed. "I'm sorry Keel, but that smile you remember…I don't think I can ever smile like that again. I'm nothing but a weak, pathetic failure!"

"That's not true Raphtalia," I said firmly, my hand gripping her shoulder a little more tightly as I spoke, unable to bear seeing her in this state any longer. "And you know it isn't. You are a wonderful person, and I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say that."

This got nods of agreement from everyone else, but only caused Raphtalia to shake her head even more furiously than before. "I'm sorry Fergus, but I can't see myself that way…after all, everything I've done, everything I am…it's all a mistake! I'm a mistake, and I don't deserve anything of what I currently have! I am unworthy of you Master, I don't deserve to be called your Sword, and I don't deserve to stand at your side."

I knew exactly how she felt, well apart from the grief of losing a loved one because I had never felt that, but everything else she said reverberated with me, because in the real world, barely a few months before I'd been summoned here, I had been saying the exact same words. Truthfully, I had always had low self-esteem, but out of the blue, I'd started feeling worthless, absolutely despising everything about myself and refusing to believe a single positive thing anyone would say about me, because I felt like I didn't deserve those kind words, nor the kind people saying them. It had taken counselling sessions and the constant support from my friends to finally get me over those feelings, and whilst my self-esteem was still low, it was so much better than it being non-existent.

It had been such a horrible time, something I wouldn't wish upon anyone, and I was not going to see my best friend go down that exact same path. Right here, right now, I was going to pull her out of it, just like my friends had done for me.

And so I reached over with my other hand, taking Raphtalia's other shoulder as I gently turned her round to face me. She didn't resist but didn't look up at me either as she kept her head bowed low.

"Raphtalia…you more than anyone deserve everything you have right now," I started speaking, making sure I was speaking clearly so she could hear every word. "After all, you have done so much for me, more than you could possibly realise. You came into my life when I was all alone in this world, when I needed someone to believe and trust in me when no-one else would, and as such I promised myself that I would treat you right, that I would look after you and take care of you so that you could eventually come to trust and believe in me. And that's exactly what you did. As our bond grew, your smile started to shine through as well, and you always kept telling me to believe the best in everyone, even when you knew that everyone despised us. And because of that, I did start trusting people, and over time I found a reason to fight for this world: So that I could protect the people I had grown to care for, you most of all. You stuck by me, even when people were telling you the worst things about me. Heck, you even shouted down the King of Melromarc and the other Heroes when they tried to portray me as nothing more than a criminal, a rapist and a slaver. And it is because of your faith in me, and your own personal strength, that we have made it through every trial we have faced so far, which has allowed us to meet so many wonderful people, including Filo and Melty."

"He's absolutely right," Keel interjected, smiling brightly. "When I last saw you, you were so small, but since you've been travelling with the Shield-Hero, you've grown into a big, strong lady, and because of that you were able to come here and rescue me and the others!"

I turned and gave Keel a grateful look before turning back to Raphtalia, who was now looking up at me, tears still falling rapidly from her eyes. "You are the reason Keel and the others are still alive, you gave them the strength to keep smiling despite all the pain you all suffered. You are far stronger than you give yourself credit for, both physically and mentally. And most importantly of all," I continued, reaching out now with my right hand to brush her cheek and wipe the tears away, which caused her to lean into my touch. "Everyone here cares for you, they all want to see you smile, myself more than anyone. Because you are the brightest light in my life, and I will always want you in my life. I have said it before, and I will say it from now until the end of time, I will always believe in you, and I will always want you by my side. Because I know that, as long as we are travelling and fighting together, we will be able to make all of our dreams and desires come true. You are not worthless, because you mean everything to me, and if you weren't in my life, I wouldn't know what to do."

Every word I had just said had been spoken with all the sincerity and gentleness I could muster, and as I continued to watch her, I could tell she knew that to be the case as well, as once more she burst into tears, throwing herself into me and hugging me tightly. As I hugged her in return, I heard her whisper softly: "Thank you, Master Fergus. For taking me in, protecting me and for always allowing me to fight by your side. Just being by your side has given me the strength to stand up for and believe in myself, and I don't want to be anywhere else. And thank you…for allowing me to come here so that I could save Keel and the others…and see Rifana once more.." As she mentioned Rifana, she let out another sob and buried her head further into my chest as I stroked her hair gently, soothing her as best as I was able.

"She'd be so happy right now," Keel spoke after a few moments of silence. "Wherever she is right now, Rifana has a huge smile on her face, because she got to meet the Shield-Hero."

"I swear, nothing like this will ever happen again," Melty swore. "As soon as we get back home, as soon as my Mother returns, I promise I will do everything in my power to bring anyone who has ever hurt a demi-human to justice, and that every demi-human in captivity will be set free."

"We all will," I said firmly, pulling away from Raphtalia's embrace to look at everyone present. "I know that everyone here will fight and do everything in their power to make sure no more demi-humans go through this sort of suffering. I swear, on my life and my honour as one of the Four Cardinal Heroes, that every demi-human will be able to live free and live a happy and prosperous life in the process, in memory of Rifana, all those who perished here and everyone who lost their lives in Rurorona Village." As I met everyone's eyes individually, I got a determined nod from everyone present as they too vowed to make that dream a reality.

"Thank you everyone," Raphtalia sniffed, tears still falling but with a genuine smile on her face for the first time since we'd come to this place as she looked at everyone in gratitude, before turning to look back down at Rifana's remains, gently reaching down and plucking a small flag that Rifana had held onto, right until the very end. She had believed in Raphtalia right to her last breath, and we would repay that faith she had in us.

I would make sure of it.

§

After giving Raphtalia all the time she needed to say a final goodbye to her best friend, we proceeded to gently gather up Rifana's remains. Raphtalia had requested this and I had granted it straight away: she wanted to give Rifana a proper burial in the remains of Rurorona Village. And so we placed Rifana's remains in a small bag, which I placed carefully in my pack, where they would remain until the next time we visited Rurorona.

After we were done, it was time for us to leave. Reichnott supported the other two demi-humans, whilst I carried a weakened Keel on my back as we all left the underground dungeon together. As we headed into the main area of the courtyard, the sounds of the rioters from before could still be heard. They obviously hadn't been informed that Van Reichnott had been freed.

"They need to be told that you are okay," I said to Reichnott, turning to face him. "Can you go out there and calm them down?"

"Of course," he replied, but just as he made to head in that direction, we all felt a great surge of power coming from nearby as the ground started shaking. "_What the hell is going on? An earthquake?" _I thought to myself.

"Master! Look over there!" Filo pointed, switching into her Filolial form now that we were out of the dungeon, and as I looked in the direction she was pointing, I saw the last sight I had ever expected, or wanted to see: Idol Rabier, a battered and bruised yet still breathing Idol Rabier, was kneeling in front of the strange obelisk I had seen earlier, hands clasped around his Rosary of the Three Heroes which he held reverently towards the obelisk, which was now glowing a bright purple.

"How the hell is he still alive?" I wondered aloud, but before I could do any more, Rabier started to speak: "Oh great and merciful God! I beg of you, grant me the power to rend the Devil of the Shield asunder!" In response, the obelisk glowed even brighter as strange patterns and runic symbols appeared around the base.

"It can't be!" Reichnott cried.

"Reichnott, what's going on?" I demanded, turning to see an expression of horror on his face.

"The Heroes of the past built a monument here to seal away a powerful monster forever. That man is trying to break the seal, we must stop him!"

But before we could do or say any more, the ground cracked beneath the obelisk, causing it to shatter. And from within the large expanse of white light that followed emerged the last thing I expected: A giant purple Tyrannosaurus Rex with glowing red eyes, which proceeded to let out a loud roar as it reacted to its new-found freedom.

"OF ALL THE THINGS IT COULD HAVE BEEN, IT HAD TO BE A GIANT FUCKING T-REX!" I shouted, half in fear, half in exasperation, as all of a sudden Rabier burst into laughter, his face ecstatic as he lifted his arms to the sky and proclaimed in a loud voice: "With this Beast under my control, no-one will be able to stop me! And for striking down the Devil of the Shield, I will be eternally rewarded!"

These turned out to be the last words he would ever speak, as with a sickening squishing sound, the T-Rex strode forward and crushed Rabier underneath one of its giant feet, before it turned it's gaze down to me and my party, leering at us hungrily.

**And that's where we end things for now! This was a monster of a chapter to write, but I was determined to get it all in one chapter so that we can move onto the next episode next time.**

**The dialogue between Raphtalia and Fergus in Rifana's cell was really hard to write, but I gave it my best shot, drawing upon my own experiences of no self-esteem and despising myself to help me along the way. If anything, Fergus and Raphtalia are even closer now, and whilst Raphtalia is head over heels in love with Fergus, which he is aware of, he still isn't sure about his own feelings for her. That will take time to sort out, and we won't get an answer to the question of will they/won't they get together until near the end of this story.**

**Aside from that, no real major changes to speak of. All we did was wrap up the events of episodes 14 and 15 that didn't occur in the last chapter. **

**And yes, ANOTHER Shield! This one, if you haven't played the games or are unaware of them, is based on Orma's Greatshield and Reeve's Greatshield from Dark Souls 2, but combined together as one Shield. So that's 3 Shields we have acquired so far:**

**1\. Shield of the First Avenger - Captain America's Shield from the Marvel franchise**

**2\. Axe-Shield - Oppressor's Charge Blade from Monster Hunter World**

**3\. Complete Greatshield - Orma's and Reeve's Greatshields from Dark Souls 2**

**We will discover what the Complete Greatshield's ability is in a few chapters' time, and there will be 1 more Shield to come in this story. However, we won't be seeing that one until we get to Cal Mira.**

**I think that's everything for now. Next time we will be running from the T-Rex, and of course, meeting Fitoria! Once again thank you all for reading and thank you for all of the support. Until the next chapter, this is theoneandonlyedster, signing out for now and I will see you then! **


	21. Ch 19 - Fitoria

**Apologies to all those who just read my story through for the first time and got a double helping of chapter 11 instead of chapter 13, must have replaced the wrong document when editing it. Another FF user pointed out to me and it's been corrected so everything is in order now!**

**Hope everyone is doing well, and once again thank you to everyone who has shown love to this story, it is more than appreciated, especially when going through a rough patch in terms of writing this story like I did this week. But I want to carry on since so many people are following this story and I don't want to let them down.**

**And so I apologise for this chapter. It just never seemed to flow properly from my end, but I still wanted to get it done. It's not going to be my finest chapter but I hope you enjoy reading it anyway. How will the party react to Fitoria? As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 19 - Fitoria

As the giant T-Rex loomed over us with a sinister leer, I couldn't help but spare a glance towards Rabier's mangled corpse and let out a small smile despite our dire situation. "_A fitting way for a bastard to go,_" I thought smugly. However, my thoughts were quickly interrupted as the T-Rex roared once more as it started a mini-rampage, swinging its tail around dangerously causing sections of the mansion to collapse, which in turn caused the remaining guards to start panicking as the feared for their lives.

And despite the fact they were trying to kill us only moments earlier, I wasn't going to see people die if I could prevent it. "Get out of here!" I yelled at them. "We'll keep him busy until you do." Not needing to be told twice, the guards absolutely legged it out of the courtyard, whereas myself and my party took cover behind another section of the building. As I'd hoped, the mass of people running in different directions had confused the monster somewhat, buying us a few seconds.

And we took those precious seconds to recover and regroup. "Is everyone okay?" I asked everyone there, to which I got four nods as I turned my head to look behind me at Keel, who was still hanging wearily onto my back. "You hanging in there, Keel?"

"Just about," Keel replied wearily, trying to inject some life into his voice to keep himself going. "But it would be great if we could get out of here."

"You read my mind Keel," I said back, smiling at him reassuringly. "But at the same time we can't leave this thing here, otherwise it will start rampaging through the village and kill everyone there."

"To think Rabier would go to all the trouble, even sacrificing his own life, to summon a monster just for the sole purpose of killing you," Melty bemoaned.

"Well when you get the name Devil of the Shield, people will go to any lengths to get rid of you and use that title to justify it," I replied with a touch of snark.

*CRASH!* Our conversation was immediately halted as I whipped my head around to see a sizeable section of the mansion collapse as the T-Rex rammed its massive head through it. After shaking off some errant remains, it looked one way and then another before it's gaze settled upon us once more

"How on earth did it find us?" Raphtalia cried.

"No idea," I replied grimly, bringing out my Shield and activating my Shield of the First Avenger. "But if it's focused on us, that can work to our advantage."

"You can't be thinking of fighting that thing here?! The civilians will get caught in the crossfire!" Melty shouted with a desperate look in my direction.

"I know that!" I called back irritably, watching as the T-Rex stepped it's way over the ruined building before turning its massive body to face us. "All we can do is try and lure it away from here and then take it out!" Just as I was about to try and come up with a way to do so, the decision was taken out of my hands as Filo suddenly charged forward, her eyes spewing flames as she proceeded to start attacking the beast.

"No! Filo, please stop it! You can't beat that thing!" Melty cried out, fearing for her friend's safety.

"Filo, get out of there, don't be rash!" I shouted myself, echoed by Raphtalia and Reichnott. But it was hopeless, Filo's blood was up and she wouldn't listen, and as she kept striking the dragon from various angles to no effect, I suddenly got flashbacks to when she fought the zombie dragon, and how this situation was eerily similar. "_Crap crap crap! If she isn't careful, the same thing could happen again!_" I thought to myself in alarm, but just as I was about to yell at her again, Melty reached up and pulled my cloak to get my attention.

"I just noticed something Fergus, take a look at Filo's chest," she said and deciding to indulge her curiosity I noticed Filo's chest emitting a faint pink light. "And now look at that monster's chest," she said once more, and as I did, I noticed the same glow coming from its chest as well. "_Nice once Melty!_" I internally cheered as I quickly deduced that that was the reason why the monster was chasing us: it was drawn to Filo. And if that was the case, Filo was the key to luring the beast out of the village.

With this new information, I turned round to face everyone else and explained my plan: "I think I've worked out what we can do. Van, if you can take the demi-humans and link up with your people, you should be able to escape unharmed. My party and I will lead the monster away from here so that it doesn't start killing everyone in the village. Does that sound good?"

Again, no-one argued, choosing to trust that I had things under control. However, just as I was kneeling down in order to take Keel off my back so that I could pass him over to Van, Raphtalia dashed up to us and, kneeling in front of me, took one of Keel's hands and buried her face in it, fresh tears now falling down her face as Keel tried to give her a reassuring smile. "I'll be alright," he rasped but Raphtalia shook her head. "I just found you again Keel! I don't want to see you go, not even for a little while! Please stay with us!"

Keel reached out with his other hand and lifted Raphtalia's chin as best he could, forcing her to look at him. "I'll be okay," he said in the same rasping voice. "I'll be in good hands. Besides, it's like you told me, you're travelling with the Shield-Hero, and that's where you belong. Don't worry about me, you do what you have to." But Raphtalia shook her head again, not wanting to hear it.

As this whole scene was playing out, I was busy trying to weigh up the pros and cons of the situation. If I took Keel with us, he would be a burden and slow us down quite a bit, but it was obvious Raphtalia wanted to keep him around, and I wanted to keep Raphtalia happy. Besides, if he came with us and we could get him healed up quickly, with a big effort we could potentially have him as our fifth and final party member. On the other hand, if I let Keel go with Van and the others, he would be safe and in good hands and could receive proper care, and at the same time, we could make a faster escape. However, Raphtalia would be distracted until she saw Keel again, constantly worrying about his health which could prove costly if her mind was absent at a crucial moment.

Both choices were valid, but in the end, I made the one I felt was right. "Raphtalia," I spoke up firmly, putting on an authoritative air which I hoped would result in no arguments from her as she turned to face me. "Is this really what you want?"

She looked back down to Keel, and then back up at me, her face set in determination as she nodded. "Okay then, Keel stays with us. But until we are in the clear, you are to focus on keeping him safe and thus stay out of any battle for the time being. Am I understood?" She opened her mouth as if to protest but I swiftly cut her off: "This decision was yours, and you have to take responsibility for your choice. Am I clear?" Although she was a bit taken aback by my sudden firmness, she dropped her protest and nodded. Relieved, I handed Keel over to her.

"Are you sure about this Fergus? He will only slow you down," Van reproached me sternly. Keel also protested this course of action, saying he didn't want to be a burden. But I shook my head as I literally and physically put my foot down on the matter: "I've made my decision. Once this is all over, I'll make sure Keel is properly healed, and then if he wants to he can join my party. But for now, he's staying with me," I said firmly before turning to look at Reichnott. "As soon as we leave, get your people out of here. I wish you the best of luck, and hope that one day we may meet again."

"My thoughts exactly. Take care Fergus, and look after Melty for me," Van replied with his trademark warm smile, offering out his hand which I took and gave it a firm shake with an accompanying nod.

With all our business concluded, it was time for us to leave. "Hey, Filo!" I yelled at my Filolial companion, who throughout all of this had been attacking the beast non-stop, switching her angle of attacks to try and keep it off balance. "It's time for us to go! Get down here so I can explain our plan!"

"I'll be right with you!" She yelled back, charging in and striking the beast's head with a forceful blow, causing it to stumble to the side. As it tried to regain its composure, Filo took that opportunity to come back over towards me, where I rapidly explained how the beast was drawn to her and that we were going to use that to lure it out of the village by the shortest route. Filo agreed at once, and so the three of us proceeded to clamber on top of Filo's back. Raphtalia was in front, with Keel now on her back, Melty was in the middle, and I took up the rear. Once we were all on, Filo took off towards the nearest wall. And as she did, and just as I'd hoped, the beast let out a roar of fury and charged after us, ignoring Van Reichnott and the other demi-humans in the process.

§

Just as she had done when going up the side of the plateau, Filo nimbly leapt down the side of the plateau, again using outcroppings and inlets to break her descent. As she landed and took off once more, I heard another loud crash from behind us as the beast demolished a section of wall before proceeding to take a huge leap off the side, aiming for our current location. Thankfully Filo was able to get away in plenty of time, and as she was speeding towards the nearby buildings, a sudden brainwave came to me: I could use the sound amplification of the Voice Gengar Shield to get the villagers to move out of the way of our retreat, and thereby avoid unnecessary casualties. And I had just the person in mind who the people would listen to!

"Melty!" I yelled to make myself heard over the sound of our pursuer, activating the Voice Gengar Shield in the process and holding it in front of her. "I need you to yell into this. Tell everyone in our path to get out of the way, otherwise, they'll be crushed, and I would rather not have their deaths on my head!"

Melty looked back at me in confusion for a moment before deciding to trust in what I had planned, taking a deep breath and yelling out the following into the Shield, which proceeded to amplify her voice so that everyone nearby could hear: "ATTENTION EVERYONE! My name is Princess Melty Melromarc! As you can see, a giant monster is about to rampage through your town. We are doing our best to get it out of the village, but it may knock down many buildings in the process! I need everyone who sees us come past to get away from the area at once!" As she was saying this, I told Filo to hop onto the nearest roof-top and book it as quickly as possible to the nearest wall she could see.

Much to my relief, the plan was working! The monster was entirely focused on Filo and so blindly chased after us, and as we were jumping from building to building I watched with relief as people were getting as far away as they could, most likely due to Melty continuing to shout her warning as we ran. "It sucks that many of the buildings here will be ruined," I lamented openly. "However, as long as no-one dies in the process, I can live with causing property damage."

"You're doing everything you can Master Fergus," Raphtalia piped up from in front of me, turning her head to look at me with a warm smile. "You're giving everyone plenty of warning to get out of the way, and you are leading it by the shortest route so that we can get it out of here as fast as you can, saving many lives in the process!"

I smiled back at her. "Thanks, Raphtalia, that does make me feel a little better," I responded, before turning my gaze to Keel, who was hanging onto Raphtalia for dear life. "How are you holding up there Keel?"

"Oh you know, hanging in there as best as I can," he responded wearily, but it was good to see he was trying to inject some light humour into the proceedings. "The sooner this is over though, the better."

"Don't worry Keel, we're going to get this beast out of here and then put it down. Once that's done, I'm going to get you all healed up." I promised.

"Which means you are going to be okay Keel! After all, Master Fergus always keeps his promises!" Raphtalia spoke up encouragingly. Keel turned his head back as best he could to look at our pursuer. "I hope that continues to be the case," he murmured in response.

Eventually, after traversing a lot of rooftops and having to watch with bated breath as the monster crashed through each one as it pursued us, Filo leapt off the last one and soared high over the village border. Once she landed, she took off towards a nearby forest. "How much further should I take him, Master?" She asked me.

"Head into the forest, with luck the trees will be enough to slow it down a little," I ordered her. "Once we come to the first big open area we find, we'll turn round and engage it in a fight."

"Do you really think we can beat it, Fergus?" Melty asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure," I replied grimly. Honestly, judging by the way it had shrugged off Filo's attacks earlier, I wasn't sure we would be able to land a scratch on it. But I didn't want to worry the others unnecessarily. From behind me, I could hear lots of crashing noises as the beast kept up its pursuit, knocking down every tree in its path as it did so, which slowed it down a little but not as much as I'd hoped.

"Look there's a light up ahead! Head towards it, Filo!" Melty cried, pointing out in front of her towards, as she had said, a blue glow could be seen. Filo did as her friend asked, and before long we cleared the forest edge and ended up in a large open area, surrounded by forest on all sides and mostly taken up by a giant lake at its centre. Filo came to a halt by the shores off the lake, allowing us all to jump off smoothly. As I looked over at Keel, I could see our escape had taken a toll on him physically. He looked as though as he was about to pass out.

"We'll make our stand here," I said, before turning to look at Raphtalia. "Take Keel and get as far away as possible. Stick to the shore of the lake to be safe, but above all else, get as much distance from us as you can."

"I'm your Sword Master Fergus! I can't leave you to fight this all by yourself!" She protested.

"Remember what I told you earlier: You wanted Keel to comer with us, as such he is your responsibility for the time being. And he is in no condition to fight or move by himself. He needs you to look after him, and you can't do that if you're trying to fight off this monster!" I replied firmly.

Raphtalia pursed her lips, as though trying to think of another reason for her to stay, but before she could, Keel spoke up: "Raphtalia…please do what he says. He's just trying to keep us both safe. Besides…I have faith he can hold that monster off…don't you?"

Raphtalia sighed unhappily but didn't argue with Keel's reasoning. But just as she was leaving, she looked at me dead in the eye. "Please…come back to me…just like you promised you always would…" she whispered.

"I promise, I'll always come back to you," I replied, and with that she quickly, albeit reluctantly, dashed away as fast as she could considering Keel's weight on her back. Now that I knew Raphtalia was going to be safe, I turned back to face the line of trees we'd just come through, hearing the footsteps of the monster get closer and closer. "This is it you two," I said, switching my Shield to its Shield-Axe form. "Are you ready?"

"Ready!" "You can count on me, Fergus." Came the replies from my companions. "Filo, you keep doing what you started back the mansion. I'll focus on keeping you healed and throw in some guard spells to keep you safe. Melty, you'll bombard it with magic. Hold nothing back, and try not to be a hero, understood?"

This drew a nod from both girls as all of a sudden, with a loud crash, the T-Rex burst through the tree-line and headed straight at me! Thinking fast, I cast an Air Strike Shield in front of me which was able to block the initial impact of the beast's attempted head-butt. However, the ethereal shield shattered after that, and as the beast followed through, it's head struck my Shield, sending me flying back towards the shores of the lake. Thankfully my trajectory was my horizontal than vertical, so I didn't have too far to fall. However, the speed of getting blown back was immense, which meant the landing was still very rough and very painful!

"Fergus! Are you okay?" Melty called out worriedly as I slowly got to my feet. As I dusted myself off, I quickly gave myself a once-over…no broken bone, no bleeding, just a very sore feeling all over! "I'm fine Melty! Stick to the plan you two!" As the girls launched their attacks, I took a quick peek at my Status Menu, noticing the Shield's energy capacity had shot up to 50% full after that one attack! "_If I can I'll try and get it to attack me again, just hopefully without as much impact!_" I thought to myself as I charged back towards the fray.

As we had agreed, Filo took the lead in attacking the monster, using the fact that it was focused on her to her advantage as she launched into a barrage of high-jump kicks and head-butts, varying up the angles of each attack as well as injecting bursts of wind magic to confuse it and keep the monster off balance. As she was doing this, I focused on providing a constant stream of Fast Guard spells on her to nullify any recoil from her attacks, whilst Melty proceeded to launch a barrage of water-based spells at anywhere she could.

Whilst our plan was doing a good job of keeping the beast's attention, our attacks didn't seem to be affecting it whatsoever. I wasn't the only one who noticed this, as Filo took the initiative with her next attack. "Master, give me some boosts!" She cried out. Realising instantly what she meant, I cast an Air Strike Shield in the air near the beast's head, and as she bounced off its head after her latest attack, she planted her feet down on the Shield I had generated and boosted herself off it. "Second Shield!" I called out at this point, generating another Shield in her intended path. Once more, she bounced off that Shield, using the extra momentum generated by these boosts to launch herself again at the head with a full-powered head-butt. However, as she bounced off, the beast shrugged her attack off like just it had all the rest.

"_How the fuck are we going to lay a scratch on this thing?_" I thought to myself in frustration. As I contemplated anything else we could try, the beast's gaze turned to me. All of a sudden, I saw it's tail lashing out rapidly right towards me. "_Damnit I can't get out of the way! This is going to hurt!_" I realised and held up my Shield to block, knowing it was futile but honestly, I was just trying my best to reduce the impact of the incoming attack.

And just like last time, the attack hit me flush on the Shield, causing me to go flying once again off towards the shore of the lake. However, somebody was obviously looking out for me, as once again I ended up with no broken bones and no blood dripping off of me. And the good news just kept getting better as I suddenly heard a loud *DING!* come from my Status Menu, signalling that my Shield-Axe had reached 100% energy capacity. "_Good timing,_" I thought to myself with relief. "_I had just run out of ideas. May as well give this a shot._"

"Melty, create some distance between you and the Beast and switch to support magic! Filo, keep doing what you're doing, I'm going to give you some help!" I cried out, before holding both of my arms before me once more. "Heartseeker, come to my aid!" I beseeched my Shield, and within seconds the same battle-axe from before manifested in my hands, along with the same feelings of confidence and bloodlust from before. This time, however, I was prepared for it, and made extra sure to keep myself focused so as not to let it take me over but at the same time opening myself up to it a little, recognising I would need every bit of strength and ferocity I could call upon to even have a hint of scratching the beast.

"Alright big boy, let's see if we can upset you a little," I muttered to myself before letting out a loud war cry and charging forward. As I did so, I felt the familiar comforting sensation of healing magic wash over me courtesy of Melty, as Filo once more was doing an amazing job of keeping the monster occupied. This allowed me to get in properly close and swing Heartseeker at one of its legs with all my strength, and cried out in elation as it hit home, leaving a small scratch and causing the Beast to let out a small growl of pain.

"_Got 90 seconds with this thing, best make it count!_" With these thoughts running through my head, I launched into a violent barrage of attacks once more, striking where I could as Filo kept up her inexhaustible barrage of attacks and Melty kept our health topped up. Yet as the time on Heartseeker expired and the weapon faded back into its normal form, the monster still looked to be as fresh as ever. How much could this thing take?!

"_Guess I have no choice,_" I thought to myself despairingly but realising I had no other choice. "_I'll have to call upon the power of the Shield of Wrath._" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, however, just as I was about to call out the Shield of Wrath, I suddenly heard a soft voice cry out in my head: "Don't."

"_Where the hell did that voice come from?"_ I wondered, looking around the area but seeing no-one else here. As I was doing so Melty ran up to me, a look of concern on her face. "Fergus, something isn't right! Look around us right now."As I did as she asked I noticed a large cloud of mist descend on the area, enveloping us completely.

"That's a high-level magic field!" Melty cried out in alarm. "Only the most powerful of beings can cast such magic, and I have a feeling I know who is doing it!"

"_Probably the same person who just spoke into my head and told me not to use the Shield of Wrath_," I theorised when all of a sudden I heard the sound of rapidly approaching footfalls, a whole multitude of them, coming from the forest area we had come from originally. I was in the process of figuring out what could cause such a racket when the answer shot out of the forest. It was a whole herd of filolials, and as they kept coming out of the forest I rapidly lost count of just how many there were and instead looked on in both amazement and confusion as they started to form a circle around the three of us, as during all this confusion Filo had rejoined us, and the monster, who could only look on in confusion at what the filolials were up to. Eventually, the circle was complete, and for all of a few seconds, everything was silent as the filolials stared down the monster impassively, who kept looking from side to side in agitation at what was transpiring.

"What on earth is going on?" Melty wondered. I didn't reply, trying once again to bring out the Shield of Wrath to aid us. However, this time I actually got a message on my Status Menu telling me that the transformation process was being jammed, and at the same time the same soft voice from before echoed in my head: "Please, do not resort to that power."

"_If I am right in thinking that same person who cast this magic field is also the same one who summoned all of these filolials, spoke into my head and is currently interfering with my Shield's transformation process, then we're dealing with a very powerful creature,_" I reasoned as a slight wind suddenly picked up around us, hoping against hope that whoever it was would be on our side.

"Master! Look!" Filo cried, interrupting my thought process. Both she and Melty were looking behind them towards the lake, and as I turned to look in the same direction, my eyes widened in amazement as a massive spout of water suddenly shot up from the middle of a lake, from which a large shape emerged. Before I could get a proper read on what it was, the large shape was already soaring rapidly over our heads, and as it landed directly in front of us, the resulting impact produced a large cloud of dust that forced us all to shrink back and shield our eyes.

Eventually, the dust cloud cleared, and as I took my first glance at the new arrival, my eyes widened in shock and amazement. From beside me, I heard similar gasps of awe from my companions.

Standing before us was the biggest Filolial I had ever laid eyes upon. She absolutely towered over us, at least 100 times bigger than Filo in her Filolial form, as her pink eyes gazed impassively over towards the monster we had been fighting, who could only growl in response.

§

"_Holllllyyyyy shiiitttt she's big!_" I thought to myself in awe as I looked up at the giant Filolial.

"It's the Filolial Queen!" Melty cried.

"She's so pretty!" Filo said with the same expression of awe upon her face that I'm sure was currently on my face.

"Wait, the Filolial Queen? You mean that she's-?" My question to Melty was answered by her straight away: "That's right Fergus, she's the ruler of all the world's Filolials!"

"Please stand back all of you," the giant Filolial commanded us in a soft tone, looking down at us as she waved us a back with a gentle motion of one of her giant wings. Instantly recognising her voice as the same one that had told me not to activate the Shield of Wrath, I had absolutely no problem in complying with her request, and nor did Filo and Melty.

As we did so, the Filolial Queen turned her giant gaze back to the massive T-Rex, which had continued to growl at her all this time. "The Dragon Emperor's Fragment that resides within you has caused you to grow out of control. Hand it over, and I will allow you to live," she commanded in the same smooth tone. In response, the T-Rex roared once again and charged directly at the Filolial, an action which only caused her to sigh: "As you wish." As the beast closed in, the Queen calmly struck out with a foot and kicked it right in the head, causing said head to snap back and sending the beast skidding backwards a fair distance, much to our astonishment. "_Just how strong is she?_" I marvelled to myself.

However, we weren't out of the woods just yet as the beast recovered quickly, arcing its head back before bringing it forward and letting loose with a fire breath attack, a move which caused me to widen my eyes in panic. "Girls, get behind me NOW! AIR STRIKE SHIELD!" I yelled, bringing out the ethereal Shield in front of me just as the Filolial Queen did the same thing herself, and with our combined efforts we were able to nullify the attack without anyone getting injured.

"So weak," The Queen muttered resignedly. "I'm finishing this now." With speed too fast for any of us to follow, she instantly zipped forward past the T-Rex, creating another large dust cloud around us as she did so. As we shielded our eyes again, I looked through the gloom as best I could and watched with astonishment as a massive amount of blood spurted out from the Beast's chest, causing it to arch back in agony before collapsing to the ground. It was dead before it even hit the floor, it's massive body rolling down and getting enveloped by the waters of the lake

"_I think I just got an answer to my previous question! She took that thing down in one hit! After we had fought it for what felt like forever and couldn't even make a scratch on it! She may very well be the most powerful person in this world,_" I thought to myself in astonishment as we all continued to watch on, completely speechless, whilst the Filolial Queen leant down over the beast's corpse and foraged around in its chest as though looking for something in particular.

"MASTER FERGUS!" I heard a cry from behind me, and turning round I saw Raphtalia dashing back over to us now that the danger was over, Keel still draped over her back and a look of worry on her face. "I was so worried when I saw you get knocked back! Are you okay?"

"A bit banged up but I'll be okay, thanks to her," I replied, indicating the massive Filolial Queen. Noticing the confusion on her face, I quickly explained to both her and Keel that this was the Queen of all filolials and how she had destroyed that monster with one attack, much to Raphtalia's astonishment.

"Are you the one known as the Shield-Hero?" I heard the Queen speak from behind me, and as I turned back around I saw her staring down at me with her massive pink eyes. I put my hand over my heart and bowed as I responded: "I am indeed the Shield-Hero, and I thank you for your timely aid. If it hadn't been for you, we might very well be dead right now."

She nodded at my words. "Then we have a lot to discuss with each other," she continued. "But this current form is unsuitable for our discussion. Please, allow me a moment." With these words, she folded her wings on herself, just as Filo did whenever she changed forms, and as she did a soft white glow completely enveloped her as she started to shrink. As we all watched, her body drastically changed shape as she shrunk down to the same height as Filo in her human form, and when she opened her wings back up, we all beheld a small girl with silver hair that was tinged with light blue streaks, cut in a short bob and with three distinct tufts that stood vertically, almost like a crown. She also had red eyes, which were currently looking at us impassively, and was clad in a red and white gothic-style dress complete with white books. "Allow me to introduce myself," she spoke up, still in the same soft voice from earlier which was now tinged with authority. "My name is Fitoria, and I am the Queen of all the world's filolials."

"Fitoria, is that really you?" Melty called out excitedly as Filo too turned back into her human form.

"Wait, how do you know her?" I asked Melty.

"Everyone has heard the tales about her!" Melty proceeded to explain, a wide smile on her face. "Centuries ago, one of the Heroes of that time period took in and raised a Filolial, the very same Filolial you see standing before you right now."

"I see, " I responded, turning to look back at Fitoria who continued to watch us impassively. "And the name Fitoria…is that a name you inherited when you became the Filolial Queen or-?"

"No, Fitoria has always been my name. The Hero who raised me gave that name when I was born, and I have been called such ever since." She replied bluntly.

"Hey, Master! Master!" Filo piped up excitedly, pulling on my sleeve. "Do you think I can get that big?"

"Filo, if you ever got that big, you wouldn't be able to pull your cart any more, and I KNOW how much you love doing that," I responded in an amused tone, causing her to groan at the thought.

"It would take many years for your Filolial to reach the same size as me," Fitoria replied. "If you want to be specific, I would estimate it would take a dozen times the average life span of a Filolial."

"Sorry, Filo looks like you're going to be small forever!" I chuckled, giving Filo's hair a small ruffle as she groaned again at Fitoria's answer whilst Fitoria looked over at each of us. "So, you are the party of the Shield-Hero? If you would please, introduce yourselves."

Recognising that I was in the presence of royalty, and one who so far had my gratitude and respect, I decided to conduct myself accordingly, and so I stepped forward and knelt before her. "My name is Fergus Ward, also known as the Shield-Hero, and I am honoured to make her Majesty's acquaintance," I spoke in a reverent tone. Fitoria beckoned me to rise as she responded: "Please rise, there is no need for you to kneel before me."

"It is common courtesy for one to kneel in the presence of royalty. And so far, you are more than deserving of my utmost respect and courtesy," I replied but did as she asked whilst she turned to look at the others.

"My name is Raphtalia, and I am the Sword of the Shield-Hero. It is a pleasure to meet you," Raphtalia spoke up next in a respectful tone, curtseying as she did so before indicating Keel, who was still hanging on her back. "And this is Keel."

"My apologies Your Majesty," Keel spoke in a weary voice, doing his best to raise a hand in greeting. "I would greet you properly if I was in better shape."

"Once we return to my domain, I will do what I can for you," Fitoria responded, nodding towards the pair of demi-humans.

"My name is Filo, Your Highness!" Filo spoke up next, waving enthusiastically at Fitoria and pouting when she only got a nod in response.

"And my name is Melty Melromarc, it is wonderful to meet you again Fitoria," Melty said in her same formal tone, giving her a polite curtsey.

"Ah yes, sweet Mel. I remember you." Fitoria replied, looking over at Melty with a smile which caused the Princess to stammer, almost as though the nickname Fitoria had given her was embarrassing. That reminded me of the line of questioning I had started when Fitoria had first transformed into her human form. "Tell me something Melty," I inquired. "You told me that everyone knows who Fitoria is due to her legend, but you speak as though you know her personally. Have you two met before?"

"We have indeed!" Melty answered, looking back at me with a smile. "I ran into her one time as I was returning from a diplomatic mission."

"It's like you have this uncanny knack of making friends with Filolials. Are you sure you aren't part Filolial yourself?" I asked cheekily, to which she stuck out her tongue in response. I then turned to address Fitoria. "You told us that you had a lot to discuss with me."

"Indeed, we have much we need to talk about, but this isn't the best place to have such a conversation," she replied. "Please, if you would hop into this cart, I will take you somewhere more comfortable." As she spoke, she stepped to the side, revealing a rather lavish cart behind her surrounded by a flock of her filolials, which drew a delighted gasp from the girls that caused me to smile as I answered: "You did save our lives, for which we are in your debt. We will gladly come with you." This drew a cheer from the others as they dashed over towards the cart.

I didn't follow them straight away, instead turning and walking towards the deceased T-Rex, an action which didn't go unnoticed by Fitoria. "I am against the idea of a Cardinal Hero absorbing dragon material, even if it is to upgrade your weapon," she reproached me sternly.

"I apologise if this displeases you," I replied without looking back as I knelt before the corpse. "But this needs to be done. I need every possible advantage in order to combat the Waves."

"I'm afraid I must insist that you do not," she responded, her voice ripe with displeasure. "For I sense an ominous presence within your Shield."

"_She's talking about the Shield of Wrath!_" I realised, turning my head to look at her fully. "Judging by your words, it sounds you are familiar with my Shield of Wrath."

"Indeed. Even though the Cursed Weapons offer great power, the consequences of constantly using them aren't worth the risk."

I nodded at her response, having come to the same conclusion myself after first using it. "Trust me, I am always reluctant to call upon its power. I only use it as a last resort when the circumstances are dire."

"Whilst you may be able to handle its power for the time being, there will come a time when it's power becomes too much, at which point it will utterly consume you." She warned me.

"I appreciate your words of warning Fitoria," I replied, clasping my hands and bowing to her in respect. "And I promise you I will do my best to keep it under control as long as I am able. However, I may need to call upon its power again in the future. It could mean the difference between life and death.

She looked as though she was about to retort once more, but instead just sigh and relented. "Fine. Do what you must." I nodded gratefully in response and, peeling off a fragment of the dinosaur's skin, fed it to my Shield. Once I was done, I made my way back over to the cart where everyone else was waiting for me. "By the way, what are you going to do with the remains of the beast?" I asked Fitoria, pointing backwards towards its corpse.

"I'll have a flock of my Filolials bring it along with us. Now please, enter the cart," she responded, indicating the open door of the cart where the girls and Keel were already inside. As I took a seat on the inside, I heard Fitoria call out for a Portal. All of a sudden, the cart was surrounded in yellow light, similar to the one that appeared whenever a Wave started, and I felt the familiar rush of teleportation magic as we were whisked away from the lake.

§

In what felt like no time at all, the effects of the Portal spell faded out, and with a soft impact, I felt the cart land on solid ground. After a few seconds, the door of the cart swung open of its own accord, as if beckoning for us to exit. Raphtalia didn't hesitate as she, with Keel still draped across her back, stood up and stepped down through the exit of the cart. As she put her feet on solid ground, I watched as she looked around in wonder. "What just happened?" She asked.

"We've just been transported by an instant teleportation spell," Melty answered as she followed Raphtalia out of the cart. Filo came out next and I brought up the rear. As I stepped out of the cart and looked around, I noticed we were in a large open section of forest dotted with ruins of various shapes and sizes, which I estimated on first glance were thousands of years old. "Gotta say, these are some very impressive ruins. Must have come from a quite remarkable civilization," I remarked.

"There must be so much history behind them…" Raphtalia marvelled as she looked around, but Filo, on the other hand, was less than impressed. "What a dump!" She stated brusquely. At her words, I bopped her on the head with the palm of my hand and hissed: "Show some respect!"

"These are the ruins of an ancient civilisation, one that was defended by the First Cardinal Heroes," Fitoria's voice explained, and as we looked to the side we saw her staring reverently at a section of ruins. "They've been this way for a very long time, long before I was born. But now, I watch over them, as do my children."

"You hear that Filo? This is her home!" I leant and down and hissed to Filo. "I want you to apologise for being so disrespectful to her home." This drew a pout from Filo as Melty's eyes widened at Fitoria's words. "Then this is a Filolial sanctuary! This is the first time I've ever been around one," she remarked in awe.

"You are correct," Fitoria replied, still looking around at all the ruins. "As a matter of fact, I'm not supposed to bring humans here."

"Well then, it is an honour that you have let us be the first humans,and demi-humans, to behold a Filolial sanctuary" I stated respectfully in lieu of the sacrifice she was making for us, indicating Raphtalia and Keel as I spoke before looking around at my companions once before turning back to Fitoria. "If you would allow us to stay, we would be grateful for the chance to rest here for a while."

"Of course. We still need to have our discussion, but for now Shield-Hero, you and your party may stay here," she replied, her gaze resting on Keel in particular. Her words drew a sigh of relief from both Melty and Keel whilst Raphtalia and I looked at each other and smiled. All of a sudden, we heard the sound of a stomach rumbling, and as we all looked over to the source I chuckled to see that it was Filo, her expression pained and hands clutched over her tummy, whose stomach had rumbled. "The last time we all had a proper meal was back at Van's mansion, so I guess it's no surprise that we're all hungry. I'm guessing you brought the body of that monster back for that very reason?" I said, turning to look at Fitoria who nodded in response. "Very well then, let's eat!"

"Um…Master Fergus," Raphtalia whispered, prodding my shoulder and indicating behind me. As I turned round to see what she was indicating, I was greeted by a large flock of Filolials who were all watching me with a look of expectation. And judging from all my experiences with Filo, I knew they all had one thing on their mind: food. I sighed, knowing I was backed into a corner with no way. "Okay Okay FINE! I can't promise a 5-star meal but I will do the best I can with what we have! But if you want your meal, everyone here is going to have to muck in and help me out! I'm going to need some big pans, plenty of ingredients and some fires started. Am I understood?"

"YES, SIR!" The rest of my party spoke up, saluting me crisply as though I was an army drill chief, whilst all of the Filolials let out a resounding CAW all together, which I took as their way of saying yes. And just like a well-run military force, I was soon provided with everything I needed from my army of willing helpers.

Before I knew it, I was running around between several boiling pots of broth, keeping them all stirred and making sure they didn't boil and overspill. The main ingredient of the broth was the meat from the monster's carcass, along with a few herbs that I had kept in my bag all this time as well as some vegetation from the forest area around us which had been collected by some of my willing Filolial helpers. Once the broth was all set, we put the fires out and I, along with Raphtalia and Melty, started to serve up bowls of broth for all of the Filolials present, as well for ourselves, Filo and Fitoria. Once we were all done, we took our bowls, including those for the two Filolials, and made our way over to the camp-fire that Raphtalia had set up for us earlier. There we found Filo, eagerly waiting for our return, and Fitoria, who was attending to Keel. As we approached, I saw her place her palm, currently emitting a soft white glow, on Keel's forehead, which caused to him to close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep.

"I've healed his wounds as best as I can. The only thing he needs to recover from now is his exhaustion," Fitoria explained as I approached, making sure he was lying down comfortably before putting a blanket over him. "For now, he needs to have a long, uninterrupted sleep, and once he wakes up, he should be feeling a lot better."

"Thank you for all of your help Fitoria, we are all extremely grateful for what you have done for us," I replied genuinely as I offered her a bowl of broth, which she took with thanks. Before long, we were all sat around the camp-fire, tucking into our dinner whilst all around us the flock of Filolials did the exact same.

Once everyone had had their fill, all of the Filolials fell asleep, content now that their bellies were full. Filo and Melty soon joined them, curling up alongside one another after making their way right into the middle of the flock. Raphtalia was about to go over and join them before Fitoria spoke up: "Shield-Hero, may we have our talk now?" She asked politely.

"Of course. Raphtalia, do you mind keeping an eye on Keel for us whilst we're gone?" I replied, turning to look at my companion as I spoke. She nodded in agreement, taking a seat next to both the fire and Keel. With that, I got up and followed after Fitoria who was making her way towards a set of ruins on the far side of the sanctuary.

§

For a while, Fitoria and I walked in silence as she led me past various ruins. I didn't ask the reason for the silence, figuring she must have her reasons for making me wait. And my patience was eventually rewarded:

"Tell me Shield-Hero…the beast I slew…how did it come to be released?" She asked, nimbly leaping atop a nearby wall and walking along it, arms outstretched to maintain her balance.

"I'll explain it as briefly as I can," I replied. "Circumstances had forced us on the run from the capital, which led us to take refuge with one of Melty's friends. However, a nearby nobleman came over and kidnapped her during our stay, and during our rescue mission how he saw fit to undo the seal that had kept the monster imprisoned. In order to avoid casualties, my friends and I lured it out of the village to the lake you found us at." I frowned as I finished my story, wondering why on earth she had asked me that if she already knew that, a thought I decided to vocalize: "But why do you ask? Surely you knew about it. After all, you did come to rescue us from it did you not?"

"I did not," she replied without missing a beat, still effortlessly maintaining her balance as she continued to walk along the wall. "The only reason I sought you out was that I had been informed about a potential candidate to be the next Filolial Queen."

"_Wait…does she mean?_" "Hang on, are you talking about Filo?" I asked immediately, and as she nodded, I followed up by asking: "Why her? Not that I would ever speak badly of my friends, but she still has a lot of maturing to do, much more if she's going to be the Filolial Queen."

"Did you not find it odd when your Filolial reached her current size in the space of a few days?" She then asked.

"Now that you mention it, I did wonder about that...hang on, are you saying she's a candidate just because she was raised by one of the Heroes, just as you were?"

"Exactly."

"_Well if that's the case, that could lead to a lot of ramifications if and when she does take the throne…_" I started to ponder. However, before I could carry on with that line of thought, Fitoria suddenly jumped down from the wall and started walking towards me with a purpose. Judging by her face, I could see that I was going to get a piece of her mind. Was she still mad about me absorbing a piece of the beast's skin?

Nope. She was angry at something else entirely. And she seemed to be a lot angrier about it than the piece of skin.

"Tell me Shield-Hero. Why is it that you and the other Heroes are on such bad terms?"

I was a bit taken aback at first since I was not expecting her to switch over to THAT particular topic. "It's a very long story, one that if I had to tell fully could take me hours," I explained. That didn't faze her in the slightest though.

"Tell me." She said simply, in a voice that brooked no disagreement.

And so I gave her a quick condensed version of the events that had taken place after I had been summoned into this world. Of how everything started when the Princess falsely accused me of a crime I did not commit, and how the majority of the people, including the King and the other Heroes, believed her and labelled me a criminal, effectively shunning me from society despite my best attempts to prove my innocence, and of how this forced me to go it alone until I met Raphtalia, and then I went briefly over how I met her, the first Wave, the events at the celebration, meeting Filo, cleaning up the other Heroes' messes, meeting Melty, the second Wave and everything right up to current events that I had told her about earlier.

After listening to my tale, Fitoria let out a sigh of exasperation: "Even after all this time, the Shield-Hero is still shunned by the human supremacist nations. I honestly thought they would have learned by now, but apparently, I gave humans too much credit." Her eyes then narrowed as she looked back to me. "But still, this does not excuse why the Four Heroes are in conflict with each other. Instead of bickering, you should be banding together in order to combat the Wave."

"Preaching to the choir there Fitoria," I replied, holding my hands up to defend myself from her accusation. "I have tried over and over to get them to see the error of their ways and find common ground, but not only will they not listen to a word I say, they still refuse to take any of this seriously. In fact, it is only when the Waves actually occur that we team up, albeit very reluctantly. Things have gotten so bad that I've been left no choice but to go to another country to not only get stronger but to avoid the endless persecution I've been getting…"

"Running away won't help," Fitoria interrupted me firmly, an unimpressed look on her face. "Like it or not, you will sort it out. The Heroes mustn't fight one another, it's as simple as that."

I looked away in frustration, knowing I wouldn't be able to give her the answer she wanted due to the current situation. Getting all of us on the same page would be equivalent to bashing my head against a brick wall and hoping it would shatter: An impossible task.

Seeing no answer would be forthcoming, Fitoria instead turned around and carried on walking, and I quickly made to follow. Once again, we walked in silence for a while before coming to the edge of the ruined pathway we had been walking on. Taking a seat on the edge of the ruin overlooking another collection of ruins, she motioned for me to join her. I did as she requested, waiting for her to speak again.

"Do you about the Dragon Hourglass Shield-Hero? All of the Heroes should." She asked.

"Of course. I know they are the means to indicate when the next Wave occurs, and that each country has its own," I replied.

She then turned to look at me, a frustrated expression on her face once more. "Then why aren't you fighting the Waves of Catastrophe all across the world rather than solely in Melromarc?" She asked me accusingly.

"_Wait a second! Is she saying what I think she is?_" I thought to myself alarmingly as I answered: "Are you telling me that the Waves happen across the entire world? We were told that they only occurred in Melromarc!"

Fitoria shook her head at my response. "When the Four Heroes are summoned to this world, they are meant to be summoned to one country each in order to best combat the Waves," she explained. "However, since you have only been summoned to and are fighting in Melromarc, I have been travelling to the other countries in your stead and holding the Waves back.."

I broke my gaze from Fitoria, instead looking over the ruins beneath us as I pondered what I had just been told. "_If what she is saying is true, and she hasn't given me any reason to doubt her so far, then how come we were all summoned to the same place? Damn Aultcray, I'm sure it was doing!. How very convenient of him to leave out the fact that Waves happened all over the world too! What is his end-game here…?_"

I knew now what I had to do. This information changed everything, and as such, I knew I had to do my utmost to convince the other Heroes of this turn of events, regardless if they wanted to hear about it or not! After all, this was too big to ignore now, the Waves had now gone from being a threat to Melromarc to being a threat to the world itself! And we, along with Fitoria, were the only ones with the power to hold them back! Speaking of Fitoria, I turned back to face her as I got to my feet, bowing as I did so. "Fitoria," I spoke up in a tone of pure gratitude. "I thank you for all you have done in our stead, even if we have remained ignorant of the full scope of things up until now. Thanks to you, many innocent lives have been saved, and I will make sure all your sacrifices weren't for nothing…"

"I didn't do what I did for the humans," she replied bluntly, cutting me off. Stunned slightly by her words, I chose to remain silent as I retook my seat, waiting for her to continue. "I only do what I do because the Hero who raised me asked me to. Because of all he did for me, I have carried out his request, and have made it my job to defend this world, including the human race."

"But if you have taken this task upon yourself, and are able to fight back the Waves, why are you so insistent on getting the Heroes on the same page?" I dared to ask.

"Whilst I can hold off the Waves for now, there will eventually come a point where their power will be too much even for me," she replied shortly.

"_She must be referring to the fact that each Wave is stronger than the last. After all, even a being as powerful as she is must have her limits,_" I theorised as Fitoria was the one who now got to her feet, looking over and down at me with the same firm expression on her face.

"So now do you understand why the Four Heroes must stop their bickering and start working together?" She asked once more.

"I do," I replied with a nod. "And I promise you, I will do all I can to try and make that happen. But I fear you may be asking too much given the current relationship between all four of us. Out of the other Three Heroes, the only one who might be willing to hear me out is the Sword-Hero, Ren, since we have started to come to trust each other, if only slightly. However, the Spear-Hero, Motoyasu, and the Bow-Hero, Itsuki, both despise me and will no doubt refuse to listen to a word I have to say. And I am afraid the dislike goes both ways. I despise Itsuki for being an arrogant egotist with his own perverted sense of justice, and I despise Motoyasu for being a gullible idiot who refuses to listen to reason, becoming little more than a puppet for the Princess who falsely accused me in the first place."

I took a deep breath to compose my thoughts before continuing: "I also suspect that Ren and Itsuki don't fully trust Motoyasu either due to his gullibility and stupidity. In fact, the only positive relationship between the four of us is between Ren and Itsuki. They at least trust each other and get along."

"That all has to change," Fitoria spoke up in the same firm tone of voice from before. "The situation you describe is completely unacceptable and cannot be allowed to carry on. And if you cannot find a solution to this, Shield-Hero, then you will leave me with no other choice."

With these words, her eyes fully locked onto mine, and I felt the full weight and implications of what she said next, still in the same calm voice: "Unless the Four Cardinal Heroes can find common ground and put aside their differences, then for the sake of the world, I must kill every single one of you."

**And there we are, another chapter done! Again coming up on 11,000 words, but I do want to carry on the trend of 1 episode per chapter. The only exceptions to that were episodes 1 and 4, which I knew beforehand I wanted to divide up into multiple chapters.**

**And here we come to the major change I am making from the original timeline: Keel is joining up with the Shield-Hero much MUCH earlier. This wasn't a split second decision, I had always planned from the start to have Keel join Fergus and his group at this point. My thinking was that Fergus, being a WoW veteran, would want a full group of 5 as early as possible. And hearing how Keel wanted to be a great hunter, he figured he could train up Keel as an archer/ranged damage dealer, a role the group is currently lacking. Sure, the decision was taken out of Keel's hands because he is currently injured, but we shall see if Keel can be convinced to join the party next chapter. If he does, we'll have the following line-up (at least how I envision it in my mind):**

**Fergus - Tank/Support  
Raphtalia - Melee Damage Dealer/Stealth User  
Filo - Melee Damage Dealer/Off-Tank/Crowd Control  
Melty - Ranged Magic Caster/Support (will be replaced as in canon by Rishia when the time comes)  
Keel - Ranged Damage Dealer**

**And yes I am changing Keel's weapon of choice from a sword as it is in the main story to a bow, but this party needs more range and he makes the most sense (AND YES I KEEP REFERRING TO KEEL AS A HE AT THE MOMENT, BUT I DO KNOW HE IS ACTUALLY A SHE. But Fergus and the others don't know that yet, but that will come to light further down the line, to great amusement I am sure!)**

**Once again I am sorry that this chapter isn't great. I don't know, maybe you all will disagree, but when writing it I didn't feel it was as good as some of my previous chapters. And like I said there were points when I struggled to find the motivation to write. This all points to one thing that needs to happen: I need another break. Again, it will only be a week, but I fear that if I don't do it, I will burn myself out and lose interest in writing this story altogether, and I don't want that to happen! Because not only do I want to finish this story, I also have future stories planned that I want to get into as well. **

**So the next chapter will drop on Friday 26****th**** July. Again, thank you all very much for reading. Until next time, this is theoneandonlyedster signing off for now, and I will see you next time! **


	22. Ch 20 - Testing One's Resolve

**My story has the most followers in the Rising of the Shield Hero category! I never expected that to ever happen! But thank you to everyone who has followed my story as well as those who have given it a favourite. All the love is appreciated**

**Gotta say, having a week out from writing was boring as all heck, but I needed it. I needed a break from writing and I was kept busy in other ways which meant my writing would have suffered regardless. But I am back now, and I don't intend (he says) to break again until the end of this story! So if this deals with episode 17…then by the time we get to 25 I'll have done another 9 chapters including this one…I think that's manageable!**

**Also let me just say, writing when the weather is warm is harder than it sounds!**

**I hope you all enjoy reading the following chapter, where Fergus reacts to Fitoria's bombshell and his party members find new resolve. I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 20 - Testing One's Resolve

"_Unless the Four Cardinal Heroes can find common ground and put aside their differences, then for the sake of the world, I must kill every single one of you."_

As we sat down to eat breakfast the following morning, my mind was still on the events of last night and the bombshell that Fitoria had dropped on me, and what that meant for the world as a whole. After all, it was King Aultcray who had revealed that new Heroes could only be summoned if all four of the current Heroes are killed. "_Is that what Fitoria is after if we continue to squabble? A total reset?_" I thought to myself with a frown.

"Master Fergus, are you okay?" Raphtalia's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up to see her holding her spoon above her bowl whilst looking at me worriedly.

"I'm fine Raphtalia, just a lot on my mind that's all," I replied, doing my best to smile reassuringly as I picked up my own spoon and resumed my meal, noticing with amusement how Filo and Melty were eating with great gusto. "By the way, how is Keel doing?"

"He's still asleep, and has been completely undisturbed since last night as Fitoria asked," Raphtalia replied, and as I nodded with relief, Raphtalia turned to look over at Melty before addressing her: "I must say, Mel, you seem to be gathering a lot of admirers this morning."

She wasn't wrong. Ever since we had arrived in the sanctuary, most of the Filolials had been sticking to Melty like glue, barely leaving her side except to eat and sleep, no doubt recognising how comfortable she seemed to be around them. Melty smiled and was about to reply when we all heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Everyone halted their meal and turned to look at the new arrival, which turned out to be Fitoria.

I knew something was up when I took in Fitoria's expression: Her eyes and her face were completely devoid of emotion. "Fitoria, is everything okay?" I asked cautiously. Fitoria didn't reply, instead lifting her arm and holding her palm flat against Melty's forehead. "Liberation: Wind Prison." She said in a flat voice, and all of a sudden, myself, Raphtalia and Filo were blown back along with the table we were eating on. As I managed to sit up, I watched with horror as the swirl of magic gathered around Melty, lifting her off the ground and imprisoning her.

"_Where has this come from all of a sudden? I thought we were getting on well!_" I thought in alarm as Filo got to her feet, eyes wide with anger and fists clenched. "Let Mel go!" She yelled angrily at Fitoria.

"What the hell are you doing Fitoria?" I asked, completely befuddled. Fitoria turned her empty gaze to me and replied in the same flat voice from earlier: "Melty is my hostage now." With those words, she used her magic to float herself, and Melty, on top of a nearby ruin with the three of us following on quickly in pursuit as I continued to try and ponder what Fitoria was up to.

"Why do you want a hostage Fitoria?" I asked eventually, trying to get some clarification into her current mindset. "I thought we had come to an understanding last night! What are you trying to accomplish with capturing Mel?"

"I want you a promise from you Shield-Hero," she responded calmly. "I want you to promise me that you will reconcile with the other Cardinal Heroes."

"Stop being a meanie and let Mel go!" Filo cried irately, and as such, I put a hand on her head to calm her down, whilst at the same time meeting Fitoria's gaze with my own cold one. "I'm sorry Fitoria, but I cannot make that promise," I replied. "Not because I don't want to do it for you, but because you are asking the impossible of me. Like I told you last night, the other Heroes won't listen."

"I must ask you to reconsider Fergus. It is crucial that you do this," she replied, her tone unchanging.

I could only shake my head in response. "I will not make a promise I cannot keep," I spoke in a firm tone. "After all, I do not believe in lying or breaking my promises, and I would be doing both if I promised you that. You ask for the impossible, an exercise that is doomed to fail. So please stop asking this of me!"

This caused Fitoria to shake her own head. "Not until you give me your promise. After all, I made my own promise to the Hero who raised me, and I intend to keep it. The Heroes must come together to fight off the Waves, there is no other way!" She then let out a sigh to compose herself before speaking further. "However, if you will not grant me this promise, then I am left with no alternative. If the current Heroes cannot co-operate, I will be forced to kill all of you, thus allowing for new Heroes to be summoned to fight the Waves."

This revelation drew gasps of horror from Raphtalia, Filo and Melty as I proceeded to respond, my expression and tone neutral despite her threat: "You would really go through with this…just because we can't get along? You do realise that the new Heroes would have to level up from scratch, and who knows how long that would take…are you really prepared to put the whole world at risk?"

"It is what's right for the world unless you can reconcile with the other Heroes," she replied stonily. "If you can do such, I will back off."

Even though I could see her logic, it was still frustrating to hear her words. After all, I had tried my best, and it wasn't my fault that the other Heroes were such stubborn pricks! My left fist clenched and started to shake in frustration, but I took several deep breaths, willing myself to remain calm. Even though it would mean my death sentence, I was resolved in what I knew I had to say. After all, as I had previously stated, I would never lie.

"Fitoria," I said in a calm voice, meeting her gaze with a fierce glare. "I wish with all my heart that I could make that promise, but I cannot. As I said, I never make promises I know I cannot keep, and this is an example of such a request." With these words, I lifted my Shield, preparing to change its form. "That is my final answer on the matter, and now I must demand that you let Melty go. After all, Melty is my friend and party member and I refuse to stand by and let you keep her prisoner. I swore to keep her safe, and if you won't let her go, I will be forced to attack you, even if it means certain death for me."

"NO, FERGUS! Please don't!" Raphtalia cried from beside me, and as I turned to look at her I saw her entire expression was etched with fear. I tried my best to smile reassuringly at her as I replied: "I'm sorry Raphtalia, but if I don't do this, I would be breaking a promise, and I couldn't live with myself if I stood by and did nothing."

"Interesting…" Fitoria murmured, and as I turned to look at her I saw her furrow her brow and her expression change to one of intrigue."You would sacrifice your life, the life of one of the four Cardinal Heroes, just for the sake of saving someone else's?"

"I absolutely would, every single time," I replied in a firm voice. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to call myself a Hero. Besides, the four of us are a team. We look out for and support each other with everything we have, and as long as that is the case, we can defeat any opponent we face."

"Is that so? Then prove it," Fitoria stated. "Fight me in a one-on-one duel, and if you can beat me, I know for certain you and your party can defeat the Waves without the other Heroes."

Well, that was better than having her kill us, but that wasn't something I was expecting from her. Still, best to roll with the punches. "Very well then," I answered. "Is it me you want to duel then, or one of my other party-members?"

"I am already familiar with all of your skills and abilities Shield-Hero, so it would be meaningless for me to fight you," Fitoria responded, turning her gaze from me over to Filo. "No, the one I will fight is Filo."

"Huh? Why me?!" Filo asked in horror, clearly not expecting to be chosen. I was surprised myself, as I was expecting her to choose me, and if not me then Raphtalia.

"Filo, if you can prove your strength to me, I will release Melty and refrain from killing the Heroes for the time being. Do you accept my terms?" Fitoria proceeded to ask her, ignoring her outburst.

Filo looked over at me hesitantly, her usual confident demeanour faltering in the face of being challenged by an opponent who she knew was far stronger than her. "Filo, I cannot make this choice for you," I told her. "It's your decision: Do you want to fight Fitoria or not?"

Filo looked over towards Melty, then Fitoria, and then back to me, her face now set determinedly. "I'll do it! Both to save Mel and keep my Master safe!" She said fiercely, regaining some of her usual bravado and confidence. I smiled and ruffled her hair in response, telling her to be careful all the same.

"I would ask you to remain in human form for our fight Filo. I, of course, will do the same." Fitoria spoke up as she proceeded to levitate down to our level.

"Okay, bring it on!"

§

It didn't take long for the stage to be set. With Melty still trapped where Fitoria left her, the Filolial Queen then proceeded to encase the area around her and Filo in a magical dome, ensuring that no-one on the outside could interfere.

"Master, do you believe Filo can win?" Raphtalia asked worriedly from my side. We were currently standing off to the side outside of the dome looking in as the two combatants got ready for their duel.

"I'm honestly not sure," I replied. "Fitoria isn't like any opponent we have faced before, and from what we have seen of her power, it's off the charts."

"Then why did you agree to let Filo fight her if you aren't certain she can win?" Raphtalia proceeded to ask in an alarmed tone.

"Because everyone is allowed to make their own choices in life, and this is Filo's. Besides, I think the added incentive to free Melty and keep Fitoria from killing us helped her make that choice," I stated with finality. Raphtalia continued to look worried but didn't say anything more as Filo spoke up.

"I'm ready to fight!" The young Filolial said determinedly to her opponent, whose only response was to let out a sigh and small nod: "Then go ahead."

Fitoria's calm demeanour and response only served to anger Filo, who proceeded to start charging at her opponent. As she got close, she leapt up into the air and proceeded to bear down on Fitoria, foot outstretched. But just as the attack was about to hit, Fitoria smoothly stepped to the side and easily dodged the attack. "Too slow," she stated calmly before grabbing hold of Filo's trailing arm and with virtually zero effort tossed Filo into the air over her shoulder. Filo flew a long way up but was able to right herself just before she reached the top of the magical dome. But as she prepared to strike back, Fitoria vanished from the spot where she was standing.

"Hey! Where'd you go?" Filo called out, looking around the dome for her opponent but to no avail. Too late, I noticed a shimmer in the air behind Filo. "Filo! Watch out behind you!" I cried, but she couldn't react in time as Fitoria reappeared and, with a swift elbow to the back of the head, sent Filo crashing down to the ground.

"_What the hell is Fitoria up to?_" I wondered as I watched Filo struggle to get to her feet, her face streaked with grass shavings and her clothes ripped. "_We all know she's much stronger than Filo, so what is she trying to prove by beating her into the ground? In any case, Filo is going to need to fight smarter to stand any chance here._" As I was thinking this to myself, Filo growled as she finally got to her feet and prepared to charge in for another attack.

"FILO wait!" I yelled out to get her attention, causing her to halt to look over at me. "If you charge in blindly every time you're just going to get knocked down every time! You need to fight smarter, so start watching your opponent's movements and figure out how to counter them. You should also mix up your attacks a little, but first and foremost, use your mana to regenerate your clothing and buff yourself for extra defence!"

"Okay, Master!" Filo replied with a fierce smile, before taking a deep breath and holding her arms out in front of her. "Zweit Tornado!" She called, and from her hands, a horizontal tornado burst forth towards Fitoria, who sighed in response. "That won't be enough to win this fight," she stated calmly as she held out her hand. "Anti-Zweit Tornado!" She called out, and just like that Filo's spell fizzled out into nothing.

"She's using jamming magic! Filo, look out!" Melty called from her prison, but it was too late. As we all looked on, stunned by how easily Filo's spell had been cancelled out, Fitoria moved swiftly through the dust generated by her cancelling spell straight at Filo. "You're wide open," she stated coldly as she blasted Filo with a burst of magic, sending her flying into a nearby ruin.

"This is bad," Raphtalia said, hands clasped together in worry as she watched Fitoria approach our downed companion.

"Yeah, Filo's not getting the chance to do anything, not even to restore her clothing. Fitoria really is being merciless and not fighting fair whatsoever," I grimaced in response as I tried to figure out a way to try and swing the odds in Filo's favour. However, none of those would work unless we could get through Fitoria's barrier, which is when I turned my gaze over to Melty's prison. If I could free her, we would have a chance of shattering the barrier and getting Filo out of there. And so, making a snap decision and without informing Raphtalia, I quickly dashed over towards where Melty was imprisoned, leaping on top of the ruin in one smooth movement.

"Fergus? What are you doing here?" Melty hissed at me.

"Listen, I have as much faith in Filo's abilities as you do, but you and I can both tell that Fitoria isn't playing fair, so I'm not going to either," I responded quickly yet quietly. "I'm going to use my Shield's power to free you so that together we can get her out of there." Before she could respond I raised my Shield towards her cage, but as I did so I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, Fitoria turning her head to look over at me. "_Shit!_" I thought in a panic, realising she had caught me flat-footed, and as I turned to face her she swiftly launched a barrage of magical attacks at me. I instinctively raised my Shield to block but her spells passed through it as though it wasn't there, slamming into me and sending me flying back into the wall with a crunch.

"MASTER FERGUS!" "FERGUS!" I heard Raphtalia and Melty cry respectively as I slumped back against the wall, spitting up blood as a result of the impact. "_That was so stupid of me!_" I berated myself internally. "_I underestimated Fitoria's capabilities and paid the price. Even worse, my Shield was useless!_"

"Master!" Filo cried out in worry, which distracted her enough for Fitoria to take advantage. "Eyes on your opponent," Fitoria called out as she swung her arm at Filo, knocking her aside once more. As Filo went sprawling, Fitoria turned her cold gaze to me as I was struggling to retain consciousness. "That attack was necessary to prevent you from interfering, Shield-Hero. You deserved it," she stated firmly before turning her gaze back to Filo.

"_Damn you Fitoria!_" I cursed internally, trying and failing to get to my feet as pain shot through my entire body as it struggled to recover from the effects of Fitoria's attack. And as Fitoria started addressing Filo, I heard the sound of footsteps from nearby as Raphtalia dashed to my side. "Master Fergus! Are you hurt? Speak to me!" She cried worriedly.

"I'll- *cough" I'll live," I replied breathlessly, still spitting up blood as I looked back over to the fight. As I watched, Filo charged in to attack Fitoria once more, but just like before Fitoria easily stepped aside which caused Filo to tumble forward from the momentum of her attack.

"Tell me, Filo," Fitoria said coldly as she turned to look down at Filo's struggle to get to her feet, her expression as cold as her voice. "If you couldn't beat that Dragon last night, or me right now, how do you expect to be of any use to the Shield-Hero?"

"I'm going to get stronger!" Filo yelled back defiantly as she struggled to her feet. "I will! For my Master and for all of my friends, I will beat you!"

"Not with such shallow willpower as yours!" Fitoria replied irritably, raising her elbow and bringing it down once more on Filo's head, sending her flying. As Raphtalia and I looked on worriedly, Fitoria didn't give Filo any chance to recover as she proceeded to barrage the downed Filolial with a series of magical attacks. 

"_Damnit! I can understand wanting to knock Filo down a peg or two to curb her arrogance, but this is not the way to do it! Even she has her limits!_" I grimaced internally as I struggled to my feet, supported every step of the way by Raphtalia's careful hold on me "_If Fitoria keeps this up, she'll kill her, or at the very least completely wreck her confidence!_"

"I-I won't let you hurt my Master any more!" Filo's voice called out from the dust generated from Fitoria's magical barrage, and as we watched I saw Filo unsteadily getting to her feet, her face still set determinedly and her eyes glaring at Fitoria with unbridled fury. Fitoria didn't respond, instead inhaling deep, which caused light blue balls of energy to surround her. As she started absorbing them, I heard Melty gasp in alarm: "She's drawing in all the mana from the surrounding area towards her. I thought that was impossible!"

"_She's charging up a powerful attack, and Filo can't take another hit in her state!_" I thought alarmingly as I turned my gaze to my Filolial companion, who was watching Fitoria with a panicked expression. If she didn't snap out of her current state, she could be killed along with the rest of us. I had to snap her out of it!

"Filo! Listen to me!" I called out again, ignoring the pain in my chest. "I've raised you ever since you came into this world, all the way up to this present day! And I am so proud of how far you have come! But you need to stop relying on me for everything! Stand on your own two feet and take your destiny into your own hands, and you can start doing that by beating Fitoria! I'll be fine, so focus on your fight, a fight I know you can win! You can do this, I know you can!"

My words had two very different effects. Fitoria started slightly whilst Filo's face hardened in resolve as she got to her feet and, taking a deep breath, gathered her magical power around her body and absorbed it into her body. However, Fitoria quickly recovered for her sudden reaction. "You're too slow," she stated, raising her hand towards Filo once more. But this didn't deter Filo in the slightest as she jumped up into the air once more before flying like an arrow towards Fitoria, this time leading with her arm. "SPIRAL STRIKE!" She cried, which caused her hand to morph into a blazing, golden talon aimed directly at Fitoria's head. Fitoria quickly generated a magical shield in response which was able to hold back Filo's attack. But Filo, with a fierce roar, continued to push forward. And to everyone's astonishment, it was Fitoria's barrier which broke first, and as Filo followed through she managed to inflict a small scratch on Fitoria's cheek. 

"She got her!" Raphtalia called out joyfully.

"I knew she could do it!" I responded with a smile plastered on my face as Filo tumbled to the ground from the momentum of her attack. "_I knew you could do it, Filo,_" I thought to myself. "_I knew you had the strength inside of you, it just needed bringing out!_"

"I-I have to…get stronger…" Filo muttered weakly, struggling to her feet as Fitoria approached her. "I will beat you…and I will protect…Master…and Mel…and Raphtalia…I will protect them all!" With this, she launched a feeble punch that hit Fitoria in the chest, before collapsing from the effort. And yet…Fitoria's face broke into a smile as she knelt next to her. "Well done Filo. You've won," she stated happily.

As Filo looked up at her with a confused expression, Fitoria continued. "You've proven your strength to me, and so I will keep my word. Melty will be freed, and the Shield-Hero's life will be spared." As she said this, the cage surrounding Melty faded, allowing her to instantly sprint over to her fallen friend. "FILO! I'm so glad you're okay, I was really scared for you!" She cried as she wrapped Filo in a tight hug. As Filo hugged her back with a relieved smile, Raphtalia and I slowly made our way over, both of us smiling at the scene.

As we approached, Filo looked up at me. "Did you see me, Master? Are you proud of me?" She asked excitedly. My smile only widened as I responded: "I saw it all Filo. And I am so proud of you, more than I could possibly express." My reply only caused her smile to widen as we all basked in her victory.

§

After we all took a few moments to revel in Filo's hard-fought success, Fitoria made a stunning revelation as she proceeded to heal Filo's wounds. "I am more than relieved that Filo here was able to pass her trial."

"_Wait what? You call that a trial? You nearly killed her!_" I raged to myself whilst keeping my expression neutral, as my other party members' expressions all turned to shock at Fitoria's admission. "But if that was all a trial, why did you have to subject Filo to so much pain?" I asked, making sure to keep my voice neutral as well so as not to betray my inner feelings.

"I had to do it in order for Filo to prove herself," Fitoria replied calmly, turning to look at me as she did so. "If she hadn't dug deep and fought with everything she had, I would have killed her, as well as the rest of you." This reply caused both Filo and Raphtalia to frown, and whilst I was still unhappy at Fitoria's actions, it did all make more sense now. As she finished speaking, Fitoria held out both hands and concentrated her magical power in the form of a silver crown, bedecked with ruby jewels of various shapes and sizes.

"Filo, this is your reward for passing the trial," she spoke reverently to the small blonde who was looking on in awe. "Now please, bow your head." Filo didn't hesitate as she knelt respectfully before Fitoria with her head bowed. As Fitoria lowered the crown onto Filo's head, an explosion of noise came from all around us. And that's when we realised that a flock of Filolials had surrounded us as we had been talking, and it was them who were raising their heads and crying out in joy as they celebrated the crowning of Fitoria's successor. "Filo, I name you my successor and heir to the title of Queen of all Filolials." Fitoria intoned.

"Hold on, does this mean what I think it does?" Raphtalia gasped from beside me.

"It does indeed," I replied as I watched the goings-on with a smile. "Filo will be the next Filolial Queen."

"Oh, Filo! I'm so proud of you! Congratulations!" Melty cried excitedly, jumping up and down and clapping her hands in glee. As she spoke, the crown faded from Filo's head, and in its place a single stalk of Filo's hair sprung upright, giving her a cowlick. "_I suppose the cowlick must be the symbol of Filolial royalty,_" I theorised, remembering that Fitoria had three on her own head.

"WAHHHH! I don't like this!" Filo wailed, grabbing the cowlick between her hands and, with a huge effort, pulling it off. However, her relief didn't last long as another stalk of Filo's hair sprung up to take the place of the previous one, which caused us all, with the obvious exception of Filo, to chuckle. "I'm sorry Filo, no matter how hard or how much you keep ripping it off, it will always grow back. So my advice would be to get used to it," Fitoria spoke up, barely able to contain her own amusement. "And as you grow older and gain more strength, you will acquire more of them."

This only caused Filo to wail louder whereas Melty's expression went from gleeful to awe. At the same time, I noticed through my Status Menu that with the cowlick, Filo's stats had increased tremendously, easily making her the most powerful member of my party. "_What a great time for that to happen. After all, with us being level-capped, we are unable to get stronger through conventional means." _I thought to myself.

"I have something for you as well Shield-Hero," Fitoria spoke up, tearing from my thoughts as she now approached myself and Raphtalia, who instinctively moved to hold onto me tighter, an understandable reaction given that mere minutes ago, Fitoria had blasted me into a ruin, but I still moved to pat her on the head, reassuring her that it was going to be okay. "I hope you aren't going to give me a cowlick as well," I replied, trying to inject some amusement into my voice.

It worked, as Fitoria let out a chuckle herself before responding: "No, but it is something that will be much more useful for you. But first of all…" As she spoke, she raised her hands in my direction and started healing my wounds. As the familiar comforting sensation of healing magic washed over, I now felt strong enough to stand on own two feet, and so I made to lift my arm from around Raphtalia's shoulders, making sure to give one last gentle squeeze in gratitude as I did so. "Now that that's out of the way, please hold out your Shield," Fitoria spoke up once more. I nodded in response and held my Shield out, whilst at the same time she reached up and effortlessly ripped off one of her cowlicks, which she then fed to my Shield. This caused the following message to appear in my field of view:

' The following Shields have been force unlocked: Filolial Series'

As I watched, a whole new tree of Shields branched off from my Small Shield, presumably the newly unlocked Filolial Series. However, their names and icons were currently faded out, indicating that I was currently not a high enough level to be able to use them, which was a shame but at the end of the day, more Shields only meant good things for the future.

"Thank you Fitoria for this most generous of gifts, I promise I will make good use of them," I said with a bow as my earlier irritation with her completely went away, which Fitoria proceeded to wave off with a smile. "No thanks needed Shield-Hero," she replied. "May I ask for another private chat later?"

"Of course," I responded with a nod.

"Um, Fitoria?" Melty spoke up hesitantly as she approached us. "Was my capture and imprisonment a deliberate part of Filo's trial?"

"It was necessary I'm afraid, I had to make sure Filo would fight with everything she had," Fitoria replied in a voice filled with genuine regret. "And I am truly sorry for putting you through that. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

"Well…" Melty responded with a blush, whilst at the same time twirling her hair with her fingers nervously. "There's one thing I've always wanted, ever since I first heard about you. If it's okay…do you think I could have a ride on your back…in your Filolial form?" Her request caused everyone to laugh, causing her face to redden further which only resulted in us laughing even more.

Even Fitoria couldn't help but chuckle before giving Melty her reply: "I would be more than happy to grant that request," she replied, which caused Melty's face to light up with happiness.

"Well I hope you enjoy your ride Melty," I spoke up as I got over my own amusement before turning to look over at Raphtalia and Filo. "If you want why don't you two go with them and watch? I'm going to check on Keel and see how he's doing." This got instant nods from them both, and as everyone stepped back to give Fitoria space to transform, I detached myself quietly from the group, making my way back towards the main area of the Sanctuary.

§

As I made my way towards the main area of the sanctuary, I broke out into a smile as I saw that Keel had finally woken up, and was currently sitting up where we had left him as well as getting fussed over by the few Filolials who had stayed around to keep an eye on him. As I watched, one of them affectionately nuzzled its head next to his, which caused him to laugh slightly, although judging by the tone of his laugh it was more out of nervousness, as though he wasn't sure how to deal with all the attention.

"Okay you lot, I think he's had enough fuss for the time being!" I called jovially as I approached, which caused Keel and the FIlolials to look over towards me and for Keel's face to break into a smile as he saw who was coming. "Oh hey there Sir Shield-Hero! I was just wondering how to let you know I was awake!"

"No need to call me Sir, Keel," I waved off. "We just had a few things to sort out whilst you were sleeping, but they're all over and done with now. Melty's getting a ride on Fitoria's back and the others stayed behind to watch, so I decided now would be a good time to come and check on you. And I am very happy to see you are awake."

"Yeah, Fitoria did an amazing job on my wounds," Keel replied as the Filolials who had been fussing over him backed away to give us some space. "This is the best I've felt ever since we were taken away by that nobleman. Speaking of which, thank you again for everything you have done for me so far."

"All I did was bring you along. If you want to thank anyone, thank Raphtalia and Fitoria. After all, Raphtalia was the one who kept you safe whilst we took care of that monster. And then Fitoria was the one who healed your wounds," I responded as I took a seat on a nearby log.

"But you were the one who made all that possible!" Keel spoke up earnestly. "If you hadn't come along and freed us, I would still be trapped in that nightmarish place. Please, if there is anything I can do to repay all the kindness you have shown me, I would be more than willing to do it, no matter what it is!"

"_I just hope he is still as willing when I ask him what I want,_" I mulled to myself before responding: "Before I get to my request, is there anything you want to get off your chest or any questions you want to ask me about what's going on? After all, I'd feel bad asking something of you if you are unaware of what you'd be getting into."

"Well…" Keel said, scratching his head awkwardly and looking aside before continuing. "I suppose the most obvious question is why did you bring me with you? After all, it would have been so much easier if you had left me with that other human you were with. I was only going to weigh you down." He then gasped as though realising what he had just said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to speak badly about you! After all, you did save my life!"

"It's fine Keel, relax!" I reassured him with a smile. "I did say you could ask anything you wanted, and what you asked was a fair question. If I'm honest, the main reason you came with us was Raphtalia. After all, she means the world to me, and I always try to do right by her. And considering what she had just been through and everything she had to relive back at Rabier's mansion, I couldn't say no to her unspoken plea of wanting you to come with us. I suspect it's because she had just found you again and didn't want to leave your side."

"Oh, I see…" Keel said, still looking slightly embarrassed, but I could tell from his tone that he was touched that Raphtalia had wanted him to stay by her side. "Speaking of you and Raphtalia, how did you two come to know each other?"

"Well, that is a long tale so I suggest you get comfortable. I won't bore you with every small detail but I will make sure to cover all of the important bits," I replied, and with that I launched into the story, starting from when I had first arrived in this world. I spoke about meeting the other three Heroes and the Melromarc royalty, my first day, everything surrounding the false accusation and how I was branded as a criminal by the King, ensuring that everyone would look down on and despise me, which led to my desperate situation where I needed a party-member, which was how I met Beloukas who at the time had Raphtalia as part of his stock, before going to detail about everything that had happened in the tent which had resulted in me purchasing Raphtalia and taking her away, which caused Keel to frown.

"But wait a minute! I thought you wanted all demi-humans to be free!" He spoke up in a reprimanding tone. "Why did you take Raphtalia on as a slave rather than freeing her?!"

"I won't lie to you Keel, I was desperate at the time," I said, trying to placate him. "I thought I had no other choice, and I just wanted to get Raphtalia away from there as quickly as I could."

Keel wasn't letting me off so easily though. "But you could have done the right thing and taken her away without getting the salve crest applied! Why haven't you had it removed?!"

"You aren't wrong Keel," I acknowledged, knowing I had nothing to say which could make this right. "Everything I did was morally wrong, and I hated myself and still do hate myself for what I did to Raphtalia. But again, I was desperate and felt I had no other choice. However, I swore that I would never treat Raphtalia like a slave or abuse my power as her master in any way and that I would do my utmost to make sure she had everything she wanted and needed. And that's exactly what I did. I fed her, clothed her, treated her injuries and illnesses, made sure she had a bed to rest in every night and provided her with the means to defend herself…" I then carried on with the story, explaining everything that happened the first few weeks after we had met, including the events of the Wave, the aftermath, the celebration at the palace and all the accusations that got hurled my way whilst there, making sure to speak in great detail about how Raphtalia and I had spoken out to defend each other, before going on to talk about the duel between Motoyasu and me, which resulted in me forfeiting in the end.

"...The terms of the duel were that if Motoyasu won, Raphtalia would be set free. And so, in keeping with we had agreed, Raphtalia's slave crest was removed. However, turns out this wasn't something Raphtalia had wanted, and she tore into Motoyasu and Malty about it before turning around and, in full view of everyone there, requested to rejoin my party once again, vowing to always be by my side. Since that was what I wanted as well, no-one could argue against keeping us apart any more. But after we left the palace, she turned around and told me she wanted the slave-crest re-applied! Not because she wanted to be a slave once more, but as a sign of her faith in me. I was always against the idea but, since it was what she wanted, I relented and let it happen."

"Wow, she has grown up so much…" Keel murmured in awe. "And I'm sorry for all the bad things I said about you taking Raphtalia on as a slave. After all, from what you've told me if you hadn't she may very well have died."

"No need to apologise, you were concerned for your friend's well-being which is an admirable trait," I responded, but proceeding to talk about everything that had happened since then, including meeting Filo and Melty, the next Wave, my confrontation with the King, having to go on the run, meeting Van Reichnott and everything else that happened up until this present time. "I apologise for speaking for as long as I have, but it's crucial that you understand exactly what's going on," I finished.

"It's no trouble at all Sir Fergus, thank you telling me!" He responded with a smile. "That's all I wanted to ask, and now I want you to tell me how I can repay for all you have done for me. As I said, I am willing to do whatever I can!"

I proceeded to take a deep breath before looking Keel dead in the eyes as I outlined my request: "Once we have finished up everything we need to do here, the four of us, by which I mean me, Raphtalia, Melty and Filo, will be heading back on the road. We now have two clear objectives in mind: To thwart the conspiracy that is intent on claiming my life and clear my name of all the false accusations levelled against me. We are currently one member short of a full party, and so I would like to ask you, Keel, if you would be willing to accompany us when we leave, and join my party as it's final member?"

Judging from his flabbergasted reaction, I could instantly tell that was one of the last things Keel had expected me to ask of him. He looked to the side, his face etched with worry as he bit his lips before turning back to look at me. "B-But Sir-I mean, Fergus…why would you ask me of all people? I'm not that strong. In fact, I'm still a weakling! You could do so much better than me!"

"But I don't want better than you. It has to be exactly you," I replied firmly. "And if you are still hesitant, let me outline the reasons why I said that it has to be you. First of all, if you come with us, you will be under my protection, and I will always do my very utmost to keep all of those under my protection safe from any harm. Second, Raphtalia has told me of how you were aspiring to be the best hunter from your village and of your skills with a bow, which means that, as a ranged damage dealer, you would round out my party perfectly once we have you levelled up. Thirdly, Raphtalia would be absolutely delighted to have you along with us, and like I said her happiness is my top priority. And lastly, Raphtalia told me about how you instantly supported her when she rallied the villagers to rebuild after the first Wave. You obviously care deeply for your village and your people, and I swear that if you join up with me, as soon as we fulfil the objectives I told you about earlier, the first thing I am going to do is petition the Queen for everything we need to rebuild your village, and with you two leading the efforts, I know we could make it greater than it ever was before. These are the reasons why I believe you should join us, but I must emphasise that the decision is yours and yours alone to make Keel. So I ask of you, without coercion, will you join my party?"

Throughout all of this, Keel continued to watch me flabbergasted, but I could tell that he was listening intently and taking in everything I had said. Once I had finished, he pondered over his decision for a short while before looking up at me with a smile as he proceeded to give me his answer: "You have done more for Raphtalia, for me and for my people than anyone has cared to do in these recent time, and I believe you when you say that you will see our village restored, and I want to be there at your side when it happens. So yes, I will join you Fergus, and stand by you and your friends to the best of my ability."

I cracked into a beaming smile and reached over to shake his hand enthusiastically, unable to contain my delight since I knew what this would do for us and Raphtalia in particular. "Thank you so much Keel, and welcome aboard! I am sure everyone will be delighted to have you along!" With that, I moved through my Status Menu and added Keel to my party. As his bars appeared underneath Melty's, I noted that he was only level 10 and his that his stats were much weaker compared to everyone else's. However, with some quick grinding on high-level monsters, and as long as we kept him out of danger, he would level up in no time. Also, since he was of the same race as Raphtalia, he would probably share the same magical affinities as her, so we could get him started as soon as possible in learning the required spells. Last of all, we would need a bow and some arrows. I would have to ask Fitoria if she could provide a solution.

My musings were interrupted by a joyful cry of "KEEL!" As he and I looked over we saw Raphtalia sprinting over towards us, her face lit up with joy at seeing her best friend awake as she proceeded to stoop down and wrap him in a tight hug. "I'm so glad that you are awake! Are you okay?" She asked, making no effort to hold back her tears of joy.

"I feel great Raphtalia, more than great. And I have something I want to tell you when the others get here," he responded as he hugged her back. Turns out we didn't have to wait too long for that as Filo and Melty joined us shortly after, both of them delighted to see Keel awake.

"Now that everyone is here, I guess there's no point in waiting any further," Keel continued, looking at me with a glance to which I nodded. "The Shield-Hero Fergus has asked that I join his party, and I accepted. So I guess that means I'm coming with you guys when we leave…"

Raphtalia's face lit up with joy at the news. "You mean you're going to be staying with us?! Keel, that's amazing! I'm so so happy!" And with those words, she gave him another hug, tears flowing freely once more.

Once she had released him, Filo and Melty proceeded to greet Keel and introduce themselves as Raphtalia turned and without hesitation leapt into my arms, wrapping herself tightly around me and whispering into my ear: "Thank you so much Master Fergus…for this…and for everything you have done for me, for Keel and all of my people. You have no idea how happy you've just made me…"

"You know me Raphtalia. I keep my promises and I don't intend to start breaking them now," I responded softly, wrapping my arms around her just as intently. "And just as I told Keel, your happiness is what matters most to me and I will do everything I can to ensure you are always smiling." At this, Raphtalia looked me, her eyes sparkling with happiness as she, without warning, leant in and gave me a big kiss on the cheek, causing me to blush massively and the others to giggle as they watched the scene unfold.

Thankfully I was saved from further embarrassment by Fitoria's arrival, which caused Raphtalia to unwind herself from me as we all greeted her respectfully, Filo, in particular, bowing as she approached. She nodded at us all before turning her gaze to Keel, smiling warmly as she addressed him: "I am glad to see you are awake young Keel. Are you feeling well?"

"I am, Your Highness," Keel responded, inclining his head respectfully. "Words cannot express my gratitude for what you have done for me."

"I was more than happy to help," Fitoria replied. "And you have woken up just in time. We are just about to begin the celebrations to commemorate the crowning of Filo as my successor."

"Wait…Filo is your successor? What have I missed?" Keel asked, looking around at all of us blankly.

"I'll let the rest of you fill him," I replied with a chuckle, and as Raphtalia, Filo and Melty took turns in explaining to Keel what he had missed, I pulled Fitoria over for a quick word. "Once the celebrations are over, do you want to have our private chat? Also, are you able to help us with making a bow and some arrows for Keel?"

"Regarding the bow and arrows, I will see what I can do but that shouldn't be too much of an issue," she responded. "And yes, once everything is over, I would very much like that private word I asked for."

§

Every culture and race has its own way of celebrating a historic occasion, and Filolials were no different. It all started with several celebratory stampedes, each of which managed to sweep away all of my companions at one point or another, leading to many screams of "Put me down!" to start with before they got used to it. After that, I was drawn into cooking duties once again for a feast, during which Filo was led up to a small golden throne and was officially announced as the future Queen of the Filolials. She was then required to sit in state whilst everyone else had their meal, which didn't please her one bit, but once everyone had eaten she was given the biggest helping of all, much to her delight.

All of this lasted well into the evening, and by the time it was all over everyone was exhausted, which led to everyone falling asleep very easily, my companions included. As for myself, I was currently sat on the edge of a nearby ruin, watching everyone as they slept whilst also waiting for Fitoria to appear. Turns out I didn't have to wait long, as all of a sudden I heard the sounds of soft footsteps approaching. Turning around, I smiled as I saw Fitoria approach with a bundle in her arms, and as she sat down next to me she proceeded to hand over the said bundle to me, which turned out to be the bow and arrows I had asked for, with the arrows all packed into a quiver.

"These were all crafted using wood from the nearby trees, metals that were harvested from a nearby mine and feathers that were eagerly donated by several of my flock," Fitoria explained. "I also wove my own magic into them, and as a result, Keel should find that neither the bow or arrows will snap. If you should need yourself finding more arrows, speak to one of my children and have them come find me, and I will make sure you will have them as quickly as possible."

"That is very kind and generous of you Fitoria," I replied, clasping my hands and bowing my head as I spoke. "I am sure Keel will be very glad of them." Fitoria's only response was to smile before she turned her head to look out over the ruin, and for a time neither of us spoke, each of us busy with our own thoughts.

It was eventually Fitoria who broke the silence by asking me an all-too-familiar question: "Tell me, Fergus, did you really try your utmost to mend your relations with the other Heroes?"

I sighed a little in frustration that she had asked that question again despite already knowing the answer, but I still gave her a reply regardless: "Of course I have, you know this! But they still see me as nothing but a criminal and refuse to listen to a word I say, although Ren might be slowly coming around to the fact that I have been telling the truth all this time. Motoyasu and Itsuki, however, will not budge."

"Tell me something then Fergus," she replied sharply. "Have you even tried to explain things to them and thus clear your name?"

"Of course I have," I replied, a little irritated. "I gave my side of the story multiple times, and even provided proof that I was innocent over and over again. But the King and those in power repeatedly ignored these facts, instead using them to fuel the narrative that I was a liar as well as a criminal, and thus no-one was willing to listen to anything I had to say. After a while, I just stopped trying and instead focused my efforts on proving my innocence through my actions, which worked for a time due to my efforts in saving people's lives and making them better through my services as a travelling merchant. However, that all got spun on me again by Princess Malty, who accused me of possessing a brainwashing Shield, and the other Heroes fell for that story, even after I'd given them enough proof to completely disprove her tale. And so it was then I decided to cease those efforts and try and find the Queen of Melromarc, and with her help clear my name and put an end to all of the attempts of my life."

"But by giving up trying to verbally clear your name, the majority of people will have taken that as you admitting your guilt, and as such they will be less inclined to listen to anything you have to say in the future," Fitoria pointed out.

"_Damn I didn't think about that!_" I berated myself as I grudgingly accepting her point.

"Once you are ready to travel, I will transport you as a close as I can to the nearest Hero," Fitoria went on. "You can then talk to them and try and convince them to come together to fight the Waves."

"Depending on which Hero it is, things will either go well or end up failing spectacularly," I responded. "But I will do my absolute best, on that you will have my word. But can I ask why you won't come with me to explain? Surely they will be more inclined to listen to you."

"It is not my place," she replied simply. "This is a situation that must be resolved between the Heroes, and I will not intervene. You must all prove your worth and thus convince me that you are worth sparing."

I nodded, conceding her point as she continued: "If even one of the Cardinal Heroes is missing or is killed before the next Wave occurs, then combating that Wave would be a near-impossible task. If that turns out to be the case, it would be much simpler for me to kill you all and have new Heroes summoned in your place."

"Hell of an incentive there…" I muttered. However, Fitoria overheard my words and looked at me sharply.

"It is extremely crucial for all of the Heroes to come together and fight as one, for there will come a time where you will be tested, and unless you are ready you will fail!" She rebuked me. "I am not sure how many of the Waves will occur before this happens, but there will eventually come a point where everyone, from the Heroes to the common people themselves, will have to make some great sacrifices.

"_Well, that sounds ominous…_" "When you speak of great sacrifices, does that mean we will have to lay down our lives for the sake of the world, or something else entirely?" I asked for clarification.

She shook her head before responding: "Not quite. In time all four of the Heroes will have to decide what they are fighting for, the world or the people that inhabit it. If you choose to fight for the world, you will fulfil your duty but many lives will be lost in the process. However, that is the easier choice. If you choose to fight for the people, you will face many hardships and trials, but in doing so you will have made the same choice that the previous Heroes had made before you, and is the path they expected their successors to take."

"I see," I responded as I turned to meet her steady gaze. "Well, I made my choice a long time ago. I have already decided to fight for the people, and it is why I have kept fighting despite everything I have gone through. I fight so that everyone can lead happy and prosperous lives, free from misery and violence and abuse no matter where they end up, and I will do anything to make that dream a reality."

Fitoria smiled at my words. "You have chosen a harsh path that will be littered with obstacles that you cannot fight alone. However, with the aid of your friends, I have faith that you will be able to keep your word. After all, the Hero who raised me made the same choice, which is why I value you so much more than I do the other Heroes."

"Despite the fact nearly everyone else views me as a Devil?" I asked cheekily, referring to the label the Three Heroes' Church had given me.

"Well you did successfully raise the future Filolial Queen, so you can't be all that bad," Fitoria pointed out, totally missing my humour. "Also from everything I have heard from and about you, you are by far the best choice to bring all the Heroes together and fight the Waves."

"Not sure I believe on you that, and like you said it will be a tough road," I replied seriously. "However, I will do the best I can to repay your faith in me. After all, I do have my friends who will stand by my side through thick and thin, and the power of my Shields, even if one of them is cursed."

"I must once again caution you against using that Shield," Fitoria replied sternly, before letting out a sigh. "However, I do accept that there may come a time where you are forced to use it to defend yourself." With those words, she reached out and laid a hand on my armour, right where the crystal was lodged. As she did so, the crystal started glowing as a soothing wave of magic passed through my body, and I instantly felt lighter in both mind and body.

"What did you just do?" I asked curiously.

"I cast a spell that should aid in slowing down the corrosion of your soul," she responded. "But again, I must insist you do refrain from using that Shield. When you feel angry or frustrated, take a moment to calm those feelings and make an effort to clear your name instead. Anger will only lead to more anger, and will only make your true enemy more powerful." As she was speaking, a tool-tip flashed before my eyes, showing me all of the chest plate's stats and enchantments after Fitoria's spell:

Armour of the Resolved Hero (Protection of the Bird God)

Defence Up  
Impact Resistance (Medium)  
Fire Resistance (High)  
Wind Resistance (High)  
Shadow Resistance (High)  
HP Recovery (Weak)  
Magic Power Up (Medium)  
Agility Up (Medium)  
Magical Defense Processing  
Spiritual Contamination Resistance  
Automatic Self-Repair

As I finished reading off the list I looked back up at Fitoria, who was now watching me curiously, and smiled. "Thank you for all you have done for me and my friends Fitoria," I said to her with genuine feeling, although I couldn't help ribbing her a little. "Despite threatening to kill me multiple times, imprisoning Melty and almost killing Filo, you really are a nice person." And amazingly, for the first time since I had met her, Fitoria could only startle and blush slightly at my words.

"_How very unlike her, after all, she carries herself so regally. I suppose even the Queen of the Filolials must have a few soft spots,_" I pondered before continuing: "In thanks for all you have done, I promise you, her and now, that I will do my absolute best to try and convince the other Heroes to set aside their quarrels and come to together to fight the Waves-Wait, Fitoria?! What are you doing?!" My last words came out as a startled cry as Fitoria proceeded to do the last thing I expected: Lay her head down in my lap.

"Please, just let me have this…just for a short while…" she replied softly, sounding more like a little girl than the Queen of the Filolials. And given all she had done for us, combined with how sweet she looked at this moment in time, I left her where she was.

However, I did have one more question for her: "Fitoria…was the hero who raised you the Shield-Hero?"

"I-I don't remember," she replied, sniffing slightly as she spoke. "We Filolials have short memories after all. However, giving how gentle and caring you are, I believe what you are saying to be the truth."

I smiled warmly at her words and proceeded to stroke her hair, causing her to let out a sigh of content. "_It's going to be a huge challenge to get those idiots to listen to me,_" I thought to myself as I continued stroking her hair. "_But I have made a promise, and in consideration of everything she has done for me, for my friends and for the world, I will do my very best to see it done. After all, I NEVER break a promise, no matter who I make it to._"

**So there we are, the 20****th**** chapter is over and done with! Again, this was a hard chapter to write, and again the words didn't flow as well as I wanted them to, but I am happy that I did my absolute best.**

**No real changes to make from the anime, apart from the addition of the scene with Keel. As I always intended, Keel will now be the fifth and final member of the party and their archer. I plan for him (really a HER) to be an enthusiastic and upbeat individual, always trying to keep everyone's spirits up, and he will prioritise co-operation and a peaceful resolution over a fight, wanting everyone to work together rather than battling but won't be afraid to help out in a fight should there be no other choice. How much will he impact future events? We shall find out in the chapters to come!**

**Honestly, when it came to these episodes in the anime, I wasn't too enthused with them but they did serve a purpose so I wanted to include them in this story too. But we'll be diving right back into the action next week, as you all know what's coming then! That's right, Team Shield vs Team Spear!**

**Until then, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and thank you again for all of the support you have given me and this story. So until the next chapter, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you all next time! **


	23. Ch 21 - Motoyasu's Final Humiliation

**The first thing I want to do before anything else is give a massive shout-out and thank you to a user by the name of KaminoDoujutsu, who very recently sent me a PM which contained some very useful tips for correcting the way I constructed spoken exchanges. Looking back upon my previous chapters, and the examples he gave me on how to properly word some of those exchanges, I instantly saw how much clearer it made what I was trying to say, and so I applied his advice to this chapter as best as I could, and I must say it has really helped me make this chapter flow much better. So if you are out there KaminoDoujutsu, THANK YOU SO MUCH! **

**I also went back and looked again at the first few chapters of my story, and noted with a much wiser head how messed up and incorrect some of the spoken exchanges are in them. Especially in chapter 1 when the Heroes are first speaking with the King, I can't believe how bad some of that is! Whenever I finish this story or find enough time, whatever comes first, I am definitely going to go back through those first few chapters and apply a lot of corrections. Have no fear, I will do my utmost to make sure it remains as similar as possible, but they might be worded and structured a little differently as a result.**

**Speaking of shout-outs, I want to shout-out two more Rising of the Shield Hero stories on this site: "From Soldier to Hero" by my friend zinmaster24 which was recently updated, and "The Teachings of the Bow hero" by NorthSouthGorem. Go give them some love!**

**Now back to our regularly scheduled author's note, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the fight scene, although interestingly enough the bit that gave me the most trouble was writing the impact between the Judgement spell and the Shield Prison. I hope the way I wrote it makes sense!**

**With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this chapter as Fergus clashes with Motoyasu one more time, only this time Fergus has a promise to keep to Fitoria! How will that affect the way he approaches their confrontation? Let's find out! As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 21 - Motoyasu's Final Humiliation

After another relaxing night's sleep, the time came for us to finally leave the Filolial sanctuary, and as such we quickly gathered up all of our provisions and equipment. Whilst doing that, I handed Keel his new bow and quiver of arrows, which he was absolutely delighted with and as such had proceeded to thank Fitoria over and over again. And it was whilst Keel had been thanking Fitoria that a sudden realisation hit me.

"I'm sorry to ask Fitoria, but something has just occurred to me," I spoke up. "As demi-humans level, they also physically mature, and seeing as we plan to level Keel up when we leave, his current clothes won't fit him for too much longer. Is there anything you can do for us?"

"Of course. That won't be a problem," she replied, lifting her hands and casting a quick spell which caused Keel's current attire to glow for a split second. "There. I have enchanted them so that they will grow in size along with Keel."

"Thank you so much Fitoria, and you too Fergus for your concern," Keel said in response, visibly touched.

"That's Master Fergus for you Keel, always going to great lengths to make sure we are all okay," Raphtalia said, her face beaming.

"Now that you all are ready, it's time for us to leave. Portal!" With these words, the familiar pattern of transportation magic surrounded us once more as were instantly teleported from the Sanctuary to an area outside of the woods. As we got our bearings, we quickly discovered that it wasn't just us who were teleported, for sitting nearby was a small wooden cart.

"I know it may seem like an obvious question, but what's with the cart?" I asked, turning to look at Fitoria.

"That's my gift to you. With this cart, you can quickly travel to where the nearest Hero is currently located," she replied, smiling softly as she saw Filo, whose eyes had lit up as soon as she had seen the cart, run up to it and start poking around it enthusiastically.

Filo's actions were noticed by everyone, and whilst most of us just smiled at the sight, Keel was momentarily confused. "Not that I'm complaining but why is she so happy over a cart?" He asked.

Raphtalia smiled as she responded to Keel's query. "It's because Filo loves pulling carts, she thinks it's the most wonderful experience in the world."

"Thank you so much for this generous gift Fitoria, we promise to look after and make good use of it," Melty said in a formal tone, bowing to Fitoria slightly as she did so.

"You said the nearest Hero is not too far away," I then spoke up, remembering Fitoria's words from just a moment before. "How close are we to them?"

"Quite close, it won't take you long to reach him. The journey there should also allow you plenty of chances to raise Keel's level," Fitoria responded as her eyes now locked onto mine, the intensity of her gaze pinning me in place. "Shield-Hero, make sure you take good care of Filo and remember your promise to me. Please, try your very best to make peace with the other Heroes."

I briefly looked over towards Filo, who had transformed into her Filolial form and was now stroking the cart tenderly with her wings, before returning my gaze to Fitoria and nodding at her. "I will. After all, I do not break my promises. And thank you again for everything you have done for us, and I hope that one day we meet again," I replied.

Fitoria pursed her lips slightly, before walking up to me and once more hugging me around the middle, an action I reciprocated. "I assure you Shield-Hero, we will meet again," she said, before breaking the hug and giving me one last smile.

Everyone else then proceeded to bid Fitoria goodbye in their own manner, after which I proceeded to hitch Filo up to the new cart before climbing aboard and taking the reins. Once everyone had said their goodbyes, they too got into the cart, and as Filo set off, we are turned our heads to look behind us as we all waved goodbye to Fitoria, who waved back at us until she vanished from our view.

"Alright then Filo, follow the path and maintain a good pace. Call out if you see any packs of monsters and prepare to stop," I instructed Filo now that it was just us.

"OKAY!" Filo replied gleefully as I turned to speak to Melty next.

"Are you okay to take the reins for the time being? I have a few things to discuss with Raphtalia and Keel," I asked the blue-haired princess.

"Not a problem!" She replied enthusiastically, moving up and taking the reins from my hands as I jumped into the back of the cart where Raphtalia and Keel were currently sat.

"Right then Keel," I spoke up, addressing the white-haired demi-human. "Our time is limited so we need to get you up to speed quickly with the language in our grimoire. Once we've covered that, we can then get you started on learning some spells. And of course, Raphtalia and I will be here to help you and address any concerns." Raphtalia nodded at my words.

"What sort of magic will I be learning?" Keel asked excitedly.

"Well since Raphtalia is affiliated with both light and dark magic, as well as being proficient with illusion magic, it's highly like that the same will apply to you, so that's where we'll start," I explained. "But we could probably experiment slightly with some new techniques to suit your fighting style. Does that sound good?"

"Then let's get started!" Keel replied enthusiastically as I proceeded to change my Shield to it's Book Shield form.

§

We made great progress during the day, even as we stopped at points to fight monsters, and as the light faded and the moon started to rise, we spotted a wall in the distance that stretched in both directions as far as the eye could see. Figuring that this was the border crossing back into Melromarc, and deciding it would probably be better to approach during the day time, I told the group we would be camping for the night in the nearby cliffs, a change of plans to which they all agreed.

Fortunately, Filo was able to find a pathway up the cliff that was wide enough for our cart, and as we climbed we eventually came across a sheltered outcrop about three-quarters of the way up that would do us for the night. Even though we were woefully short on camping provisions, having had to abandon most of them as we fled from the military, everyone was in high spirits after today's events.

As Raphtalia and Keel started gathering wood to make a fire, and as Filo and Melty found places to sit and started chatting away enthusiastically to each other about today's events, I found myself watching them all whilst reflecting on the day's events. Everyone had been in high spirits all day and as such the bonds between them had grown, especially with Keel who they had all made an effort to bond with so that he wouldn't be left out.

Speaking of Keel, I had been awed and impressed with how far he had come in the space of one day. Whenever we had the chance, we stopped to fight a pack of monsters, most of whom were about the same level as myself, Raphtalia and Filo. Despite the massive gap in levels, Keel had started joining in the fights straight away, taking no time at all to rediscover his natural affinity for using a bow.

And seeing as myself, Raphtalia and Filo were all capped at level 40, the experience we got from the monsters had been shared between Melty and Keel, causing their levels to shoot up. As of now, Melty was currently level 32, whilst Keel, who had started from scratch at level 1, was an astounding Level 25! Even I had been surprised at his rapid level growth, despite my previous knowledge of huge experience gains to low-level players from fighting higher-level monsters from my days playing World of Warcraft.

And that wasn't all of the good news. It turned out that Keel was a quick learner too and as such it had taken him only a short amount of time to get to grips with the language in the grimoire, and so by day's end he had been able to master two spells, First Light and First Hiding, and was almost as proficient with them as Raphtalia was. Not only that but after a few experimental tries he was now able to use Light magic to enhance his arrows, thus leading him to acquire two new skills in the process: Light Arrow and Blinding Arrow.

And as I had predicted, his level increase had caused him to age and grow just as Raphtalia had. Thankfully Fitoria's spell worked a treat as his clothes grew in size to match his growth, and as such he now stood slightly taller than Raphtalia, his silver-white hair now touching his shoulders. As soon as we reached a major city, our first priority would be to acquire some equipment for him.

It didn't take long for the pair of demi-humans to put a fire together, and before long we were all sat around it enjoying a hearty meal together. Whilst we were eating, Raphtalia had gone into the cart and retrieved our map of the surrounding area, and upon returning she had started pouring over it to plan our next move.

"Once we get past this crossing, we'll be on the other side of the border and back into Melromarc itself." She announced

"Aren't there any other routes we can take to avoid going through it?" Melty inquired.

Raphtalia quickly glanced over the map once more before shaking her head in response to Melty's question. "If we took a detour, it would add a few days to our journey. I don't think we can afford that delay."

Throughout their discussion I had just sat there, taking in their conversation whilst planning our next move, and it was to me that Melty directed her next question. "What do you think we should do Fergus?" She proceeded to ask.

"It actually works to our advantage that we've come across the border crossing, even though we are sure to get spotted, and once we are the Hero in the area will surely come over to confront us," I explained. "After all, I promised Fitoria that I would do my very best to try and convince the other Heroes to settle our differences so that we can come together to fight the Wave, and the sooner we get started with that the better."

"That does make sense, but what if the Hero cannot be reasoned with?" Melty followed up.

"Like it or not they WILL listen, even if we have to use force to make that happen," I stated bluntly.

Melty blinked once at my words. "Okay then," she replied with a nod of her head, an action which surprised me since it was usually Melty who would advocate for the more peaceful solution.

The surprise must have shown on my face if Melty's next words were any indicator. "Why do you look so surprised?" She asked

"You're usually the one who cautions me against using force, something about 'protecting my reputation'," I responded teasingly, causing her to pout.

"Given that people like Rabier are willing to summon giant monsters just to get at you, I think any damage to your reputation is low on our list of priorities," she replied fiercely, a statement I could find no fault with, and as such, I conceded the argument.

"I believe in you Fergus, just as I'm sure everyone here does," Keel spoke up in a tone of optimism as the others nodded in agreement. "And I know you will do your best and be able to convince the other Hero of your noble intentions, no matter which one it is."

I smiled at the newest addition to our party. "Thanks for your kind words Keel, but in actuality, our chances of convincing the other Hero will depend on which Hero is waiting for us," I replied.

"How so?" Keel enquired, and so I proceeded to explain how I expected each Hero to receive me, starting with Ren.

"If it is the Sword-Hero, Ren Amaki, we stand a solid chance of attaining our goal. Although he might be suspicious of us at first given how our most recent encounter ended, he more than the others would be willing to listen to us, since I believe he now has major doubts about whether the accusations against me are actually true."

I hesitated before a moment before speaking again. "If it is the Bow-Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi, then I rate our chances at about fifty-fifty. Mine and Itsuki's relationship is incredibly strained since we both despise each other for different reasons, in fact, one time I punched him in the face because he was increasingly getting on my nerves at the time. However, he has stuck up for me in the past, such as during my duel with Motoyasu, and actually attempted to stop the soldiers from going after me whilst we were on the run, not out of any love for me but because it was the right thing to do in his mind. As a result, I believe him to be someone who is able to see all sides of a situation and use the facts and evidence on hand in order to ascertain the truth which could work in our favour, but only if we are able to bury our resentment for each other to get to that point."

I frowned as I reached the last Hero. "However, if the Hero in question is the Spear-Hero, Motoyasu Kitamura, then our chances are slim to none, for Motoyasu is a gullible idiot who has completely brought into the lie that I am a criminal and that I possess a brainwashing Shield. He refuses to listen to any sort of reason even if the evidence is right in front of his face, preferring instead to hear only what he wants to hear. To make matters worse, Princess Malty, the one who made up the false accusation that started this whole mess and who will make up any lie to discredit me, is a member of his party and will no doubt do everything in her power to ensure our words are not believed. As such, if it is Motoyasu that awaits us, it would be best for you all to be on guard."

Throughout my explanations, Keel had listened attentively, absorbing every word I said. After I finished, he considered my words for a short while before speaking up again in the same optimistic tone from before. "I still have faith you will be able to make them listen, regardless of which one it is."

The rest of us nodded in agreement, sharing in Keel's optimism as we proceeded to finish our meal. Once we had done so, we agreed to split the night watch into five shifts of one and a half hours each, so that we could all at least get a decent night's sleep. Filo volunteered to take the first watch, Melty the second, Keel the third and Raphtalia the fourth, and so I agreed to take the fifth and final watch into the morning. With that, we all found a comfortable area to lay our heads down and quickly went to sleep, all except for Filo who too her place on a nearby rock and started her watch.

§

Fortunately, nothing went amiss during the night, so that by the time Raphtalia woke me up for my shift, I felt fully refreshed and alert, having had a rare night of uninterrupted sleep. As Raphtalia went back to sleep, I took my position on watch. As luck would have it, nothing happened during my shift also, the only thing of note was the changing of the guards at the border crossing as those on the night shift were relieved.

Once everyone had woken up, we ate a hearty breakfast before packing up camp and setting off one more. This time I took Filo's reins, but as we headed down the cliff and back onto the road towards the border crossing, everyone remained silent as an air of nervous tension overcame us. No doubt each of us was unsure of how today's events would play out.

In no time at all we came within arrow range of the wall, and as I expected the guards instantly spotted our approach. Before long, a horn started sounding from the wall, no doubt rallying the guards to the gate as I told Filo to pull to the side of the road, as I reasoned that if we approached the crossing on foot, we would look like less of a threat.

The instant we all got down from the cart, and just as I was unhitching Filo from it, the gates swung open and a battalion of soldiers poured forth, splitting into two rows that took position on either side of the gate.

"That's a bit excessive, even if it just to receive us," I muttered under my breath before addressing the others. "Remember, keep your weapons holstered. We don't want to arouse any suspicion."

Everyone nodded as we watched the soldiers continued to line up in front of the gate until eventually the last one of them was in position. Once they were all assembled, a lone figure made his way through the gate and took up a position directly in front of it whilst advancing a bit further than the soldiers had done. As we all took a good look at the figure, Filo, Raphtalia and I all let out a collective groan.

For the figure in question was the Hero who was least likely to listen to us: The Spear-Hero, Motoyasu.

"It just had to be that annoying Spear-Guy…" Filo moaned as with a POOF she reverted to her human form.

"What should we do Master Fergus?" Raphtalia asked me worriedly.

I sighed, not liking the situation whatsoever. However, I had made a promise and I intended to keep it, regardless of whether Motoyasu wanted to listen or not. "We have no other choice, we carry on as planned," I responded firmly. "However, be on guard. Motoyasu has attacked me without warning in the past and I wouldn't put it past him to try something similar, especially with all those guards present. Keep on guard, but do not raise your weapons except in self-defence, We are here to talk, not to fight."

The others nodded at my warning as we proceeded to slowly walk up to where Motoyasu was waiting for us, his expression and that of the guards completely unreadable. I was in the centre of the line, with Raphtalia and Keel on my right and Melty and Filo on my left. Before long our lines were facing one another, only about 15 to 20 feet apart, as I walked on a bit more before coming to a halt a few feet from Motoyasu, my eyes fixed firmly on his face.

"Motoyasu," I spoke in a loud, clear voice, my tone cordial. "I'm not here to start a fight with you. All I want to do is talk. Something very important has come up that we need to discuss."

Motoyasu's expression morphed into a grimace at my words, eye hidden by his fringe. "Is that really all you are here for?" He asked in a voice that was as cold as ice.

I frowned, noting his tone of voice. "_He's mad at me for whatever reason,_" I thought to myself. "I swear to you, that's all I'm here to do," I replied firmly.

His expression changed once more as he proceeded to glare at me, his eyes aflame with rage. "Traitor! Devil of the Shield!" He roared as he leapt forward, swinging his Spear. I quickly recovered from my astonishment at his words as I brought out my Shield of the First Avenger, easily blocking his blow.

"MASTER!" "FERGUS!" Came the cries from my companions but I shook my head, flinging my left hand back. "Stay back! We aren't here to fight!" I reminded them as Motoyasu leapt back to his original spot, his Spear still pointed squarely at my face.

"Please, Motoyasu! At least hear me out before trying to take my head off!" I called out desperately, trying to calm him down.

However, my words had zero effect on the Spear Hero. "I refuse to listen to a Devil who uses a brainwashing Shield to force people to fight for him!" He retorted, his gaze turning to Keel as he spoke. "How the hell are you able to live with yourself Fergus? Or do you have a sick perversion for robbing people of their free will?!"

"_That's a bit rich coming from someone with a fetish for small, blonde-haired girls!_" I thought angrily to myself, losing my cool slightly. Thankfully I was able to recompose myself swiftly. "I told you once, I told you twice, I've told you a million times, they aren't brainwashed! I even proved that to you when we last met!" I yelled.

"LIAR!" Motoyasu roared as he struck at me with Lightning Spear, which I was able to block without much effort.

"_This bastard is insufferable!_" I raged to myself. However, I had made a promise to Fitoria to try and sort things out, and despite how unreasonable Motoyasu was being right now, I knew I had to keep trying to get through to him. "LISTEN TO ME! I don't want to fight you Motoyasu, all I want to do is talk!" I replied, half pleading, half yelling.

"I think I fully understand now why I was summoned to this world," Motoyasu stated, flourishing his Spear as he spoke. "I realise what my mission is, and it's to stop you, Fergus! METEOR THRUST!" With those words, he struck out once more, his attack heading straight for me. I raised my Shield and blocked it once again, but this attack wouldn't abate as easily as the others did, and so with a massive effort, I kept at it bay, whilst at the same time my companions struggled to stay upright whilst dealing with the pressure created by the spell. Thankfully, I was able to hold it back until at last, it faded out.

"You really are a stubborn one, Fergus, to be able to stay upright after an attack like that," I heard Motoyasu grudgingly remark through the dust cloud his attack had generated.

"Come on Master, let me at him!" I heard Filo rage from behind me. And she wasn't alone in her anger.

"This is hopeless! There's no way he's going to listen to us, no matter what we do!" Raphtalia said, her voice trembling with anger. Things must be really bad if Raphtalia of all people was getting wound up!

"We need to have faith in Fergus, I'm sure he can make the Spear-Hero listen!" Keel spoke up.

"_You have more faith in me than I do right now, Keel,_" I remarked to myself. "_What the hell has happened to make Motoyasu so mad that he wants to kill me without hearing me out?! Time to find out._"

"Why are you mad at me Motoyasu? What could I have possibly done to make you want to kill me?" I asked as the dust from Motoyasu's attack finally cleared.

"Are you really that heartless? Were Ren and Itsuki that insignificant to you?!" Motoyasu snarled in response.

"_Wait, what?!_" "What the hell are you talking about? What's going on with Ren and Itsuki?" I asked, desperately trying to understand.

But Motoyasu ignored my words. "I understand now why people call you the Devil of the Shield," he remarked bitterly. "You told us we should be fighting alongside each other, for us to put our trust in you! But you tricked us!"

"Now hold on, that's a bit rich coming from you!" I interrupted. "You lot have never trusted me one bit, not since your bitch of a team-mate falsely accused me of raping her! And that wasn't a trick, we DO NEED to be on the same page, fighting together to hold back the Waves! Heck, the King even told us that himself whilst he was sentencing me!"

"NO! No more of your tricks! I'm going to make you pay!" He shouted as he launched himself at me again, and as our weapons clashed, we were pulled into a weapon lock that forced our faces closer together.

"At least tell me what I'm supposed to have done! I still don't get why you're so mad at me!" I shouted as I struggled to hold him back.

"Stop pretending to not know what you have done!" Motoyasu snarled, his face flush with rage as he tried to force me back. "Think about it, it shouldn't be too hard for you to remember, MURDERER!"

"_Murderer?!_" All of a sudden my brain went into overdrive, and I realised with horror what exactly Motoyasu was accusing me of. "_Surely he can't serious?_" I thought as our weapons clash ended and we sprang back from each other. "Hold on a moment, do you honestly believe I killed Ren and Itsuki?!" I asked in disbelief, which caused my companions to gasp in shock.

"Don't bother denying it, you know exactly what you did!" Motoyasu snarled. " And I will never forgive you for what you've done!"

"Hold on a second! How could the Sword and Bow Hero have been killed? They're really strong after all!" Melty asked.

"That's what I would like to know," I growled as my expression grimaced, the realisation of what Itsuki and Ren's deaths would mean for the world as a whole. They just couldn't be dead, not that easily! "For starters, let's apply some logic to the situation, which I know is a stretch for you Motoyasu but you'd better listen anyway. How in the blue hell could I have possibly murdered both Ren and Itsuki, even if I'd wanted to?! They are the Sword and Bow Hero, I'm the Shield-Hero, they would have kicked my ass if I'd even tried!"

I then took a deep calming breath to get my emotions under control before continuing. "And if, for whatever reason, you are telling the truth, and they are in fact dead, can you confirm it? Have you seen their bodies?"

The snarl on Motoyasu's face wavered slightly at my inquiry, which told me all I needed to know. "Thought so. Well until I see their bodies for myself, I refuse to believe that either of them are dead!"

"The testimony of an agent of the Three Heroes' Church is a more than trustworthy source!" A new voice called out of the blue, and I really had to struggle to keep my frustrations under control as soon as I heard it. There was no mistaking that voice and, sure enough, Malty and the other two members of Motoyasu' party stepped out from behind the guards, taking their place directly behind the Spear-Hero.

"_When you feel angry or frustrated, take a moment to calm those feelings and make an effort to clear your name instead." _Fitoria's words from our last conversation rang in my head, reminding me gently of what I'd sworn to do, and so I took a moment to temper my anger and calm my thoughts, which was much harder than you'd think given the current look of smug superiority of Malty's face.

Thankfully, my next words came out in a calm tone, although there was a small undercurrent of anger behind them: "Any testimony of the Three Heroes' Church is suspect due to their obvious bias against me. But go ahead Pawn, spin your latest yarn. I have little doubt that it will be just as ridiculous as the last one."

Annoyingly, my words did little to wipe away Malty's smug expression as she gave her version of events. "The Devil of the Shield was the one responsible for unleashing a monster that proceeded to cause havoc on the surrounding area, and in the chaos that followed, he murdered both Ren and Itsuki."

"_Yup, just as ridiculous as I suspected,_" I thought to myself as I facepalmed once more. "Of course you would pin it on me rather than your buddy in the Church," I responded in an exasperated tone. "You were right in one sense, a monster was unleashed on a nearby village. However, the summoner was one Idol Rabier, who for those wondering was a disgusting excuse of noble as well as a member of the Three Heroes' Church, which renders your source as utterly unreliable given the Church were the ones responsible."

Malty's cocky expression faltered slightly, her eyes glaring at me as I once again tore through her lies. However, I wasn't done yet. "How do I know this? I was at Rabier's mansion when he summoned it. We had gone there to rescue Princess Melty, who Rabier had kidnapped, and in the aftermath of our rescue attempt, Rabier summoned the monster, which went on to crush him underfoot. We were able to stop it from causing havoc by luring it away from the village." I explained

"Please listen to him, Sir Fergus is telling the truth!" Keel implored. "I was there, I saw the whole thing happen! After rescuing me and my friends from Rabier's dungeon, the Shield-Hero and his party were able to distract the monster and lure it far away from the village, where he proceeded to engage it in combat despite its overwhelming power! It was only due to in the intervention of the Filolial Queen, who vanquished the monster, that we were able to survive! You have to believe us!"

"The testimony of your demi-human brat is worthless given how he has been brainwashed by your Shield!" Malty replied sternly, waving off Keel's testimony before directing her next words to Motoyasu. "Sir Motoyasu, do not be swayed by the Devil of the Shield's brainwashing Shield. You have to remain strong so that he can't manipulate you."

"No need to worry about that," Motoyasu replied grimly. "He can't fool me whatsoever. I will not be swayed!"

"You accuse me of brainwashing people, and yet the only brainwashed person I can see is standing right in front of me," I murmured with a sigh when all of a sudden I heard Melty gasp from behind me.

"Mel, what is it?" I heard Filo ask concernedly as I turned my head around to look at Melty, who was looking at her sister with a horrified expression on her face.

"Sister…please tell me you haven't…surely you didn't…?" Melty asked despairingly.

My eyes widened and then narrowed as I instantly realised what she was implying, and given Malty's nature, it wasn't too far outside the realms of possibility to believe she could have done it. "It was you wasn't it?" I growled, turning my head back to glare at Malty. "You were the one who tried to kill Ren and Itsuki, and then pinned the crime on me to further paint me as a villain!"

"Enough of this nonsense, it's time to fight!" With these words, Malty conjured a ball of blue light between her hands which instantly exploded outwards, causing a dome of electricity to form and quickly surround us on all sides, trapping myself, Motoyasu and both of our parties within.

"What have you done Sister?!" Melty asked, her despair giving way to anger as she now glared at Malty, who's smirk only widened.

"This is a Lightning Cage," she proceeded to explain, a victorious grin on her face. "A spell that entraps the caster, their intended target and everyone surrounding them in an area designated by the caster. And it is within this cage that the Sir Motoyasu will crush the Devil of the Shield once and for all!"

"There's no escape for you this time Fergus, and no-one to come and save you!" Motoyasu declared as he levelled his Spear at me. "I will avenge the deaths of Ren and Itsuki, and finally rid the world of the Devil of the Shield!"

"For god's sake, Motoyasu listen to me!" I desperately implored him, trying one more time to appeal to Motoyasu's reason even though I knew it wouldn't work. "What proof do you have that they are dead when you haven't even seen their bodies?!"

"My friends are more than trustworthy, and I believe in them!" Motoyasu answered as he crouched, readying himself for battle.

"_Trust in his friends…that's Motoyasu's one redeeming quality, and Malty's twisted that in order to make him her personal dancing monkey,_" I realised with a sigh as I knew I couldn't stall any more. A fight was inevitable, and so I whispered a quick apology to Fitoria, asking her to forgive me for what I had to do, but since Motoyasu wasn't going to listen to reason, I'd have to beat the reason into him one more time.

"What do we do Master Fergus?" Raphtalia asked, drawing her sword. At the same time, Keel drew an arrow and Melty and Filo raised their fists.

I looked back at them once, my gaze impassive, before returning my gaze to Motoyasu as I lifted my Shield of the First Avenger, and spoke the following two words that had once been uttered by the same man who had made the Shield I currently bore famous:

"We fight."

§

Just as he had done during our first duel, Motoyasu wasted no time making the first move as he charged at me, thrusting his Spear directly at my head. And just like last time, I was easily able to get my Shield up to block the attack.

However, this wasn't like the first duel, as this time we both had allies willing to fight alongside us. And none were more willing than Raphtalia, who with a fierce cry charged at Motoyasu, going on the offensive with her sword. Motoyasu was quickly forced onto the defensive as he fell back, using his Spear to block her relentless strikes.

"I won't let you or the Princess hurt Master Fergus any more!" She snarled at him over the constant clash of their weapons.

"He's brainwashed you, can't you see that?!" Motoyasu pleaded with her as he continued to keep her at bay. "You don't have to fight for him If you don't want to!"

Raphtalia's eyes narrowed at his words as she used a break in the fighting to point the tip of her blade towards his face. "I am the Sword of the Shield-Hero, and as long as that remains the case, I will always fight for Master Fergus, the man who saved my life and gave me a place in this world, no matter who we face!" She declared.

"I don't want to hurt you Raphtalia," Motoyasu told her sharply as he levelled his Spear at her. "But I will if you don't get out of my way. TURBULENT THURST!" With those words, he launched himself at Raphtalia, gusts of wind now enveloping his Spear.

"Raphtalia! Get behind me!" I called out, and without hesitation Raphtalia turned and in one graceful movement jumped over my head landing directly behind me as I again took Motoyasu's attack directly on my Shield, glaring at him as I did so. He'd just made a big mistake by attacking Raphtalia, and he was going to pay it, I'd make sure of it!

"You're going to regret doing that," I growled menacingly at him, and as he sprung back, I turned my head to look at Filo. "You wanted a shot at him, didn't you? Go ahead, he's all yours."

Filo's eyes lit up at my words. "Thank you, Master!" She cried gleefully as with another POOF she transformed into her Filolial form and bent her legs, preparing to charge the Spear-Hero.

"Not so fast!" Malty cried, raising her hands to the sky. "Zweit Fire Squall!" At her words, several miniature fireballs appeared in the air above her, which she proceeded to launch directly at my party.

Melty reacted instantly to her sister's attack as she raised a hand towards the incoming fireballs. "Anti-Zweit Fire Squall!" She cried, and from her hands a large spiral of water appeared, soaking up the fire with ease and rendering Malty's spell useless. "I won't let you hurt anyone any more!" She yelled defiantly at Malty.

"Great job Melty!" I called out, giving the Princess a thumbs-up before returning my attention to Filo. "You're in the clear now Filo, go get him!"

"YAY!" Filo called exuberantly as she leapt high into the air, intending to strike at Motoyasu with above from her claws. However, she wasn't out of the woods yet, as another of Motoyasu's party members raised her hands, her intent to strike the exposed Filolial with a spell. Unfortunately for her, another of my party saw it coming and reacted instantly.

"Filo, cover your eyes! Blinding Arrow!" Keel cried out, and as myself, Raphtalia and Melty instantly shut our eyes and raised our hands in front of our faces, Keel fired an arrow swirled in Light Magic, aiming at the ground in front of the magic-caster. Having witnessed him use this technique before, I was able to guess what would happen next: The arrow would hit the ground, and as it did, a blinding flash of light would burst from it and momentarily stun the magic-caster, thereby preventing her from firing off her spell.

And judging by Keel's next words, my guess was spot on. "He's all yours Filo!" I heard Keel cry out, and as we reopened our eyes I watched as Filo bore down on Motoyasu, claw outstretched. And it was only Motoyasu's instinctive reaction to place his Spear in the path of the attack that saved him from getting his face clawed off.

Filo, however, took this move in stride, as she used Motoyasu's Spear as a platform to bounce off of, and as she did so she quickly changed back into her human form and charged at Motoyasu once more, her hands glowing golden as she proceeded to assault Motoyasu with her new Spiral Strike ability. Once more Motoyasu was forced on the defensive as Filo kept pummelling away at him, desperately keeping her at bay until he was able to force her back. However, instead of being sent flying, Filo instead flipped gracefully in the air before landing on her feet on our side of the field.

"Forgive me Filo, but I must fight to avenge Ren and Itsuki, even if I have to hurt you to do so!" He called out, his voice tinged with regret as he charged once more, this time aiming his Spear at Filo, only to find me once again in his path as I moved in front of Filo, blocking his attack with my Shield once more.

"That's twice now Motoyasu!" I growled. "Twice that you've tried to attack my friends! Do that once more, and I will beat you within an inch of your life, just like I did before!"

"Then stop brainwashing them to fight for you, and fight me one-on-one!" Motoyasu yelled. "CHAOS SPEAR!" Once again his Spear lit up with a dark pulse, the tip splitting into multiple copies once more before launching themselves at me and my party. I used my Shield to block the ones heading in my direction, whilst at the same time casting Air Strike Shield to protect my party from the others.

This, however, created the opening that Motoyasu had seemingly been waiting for. "All of you, it's time!" He shouted at his party-members, who responded instantly.

"Zweit Fire!" Melty cried. "Zweit Air Shot!" His other party-members called out, firing off their spells which, instead of coming at us, wrapped themselves around the tip of Motoyasu's Spear. As myself and the others looked on, completely bewildered by what we were seeing, Motoyasu levelled his Spear, it's blade engulfed with fire and wind magic, in my direction.

"Behold the power of a Combo attack, combining Fire and Wind Magic with my Legendary Spear!" Motoyasu proclaimed. "With this spell, I shall end this duel and avenge Ren and Itsuki!"

"_Well, this is a first, techniques that Motoyasu knows that I don't!_" I thought to myself, a grin spreading across my face despite the apparent direness of the situation. _"And by making such a grand show of it he's now given me access to that very same set of techniques, not that that will have crossed his mind. Well then, if he's pulling out his trump card, I guess I'd better respond in kind!_"

"Awesome display of power there Motoyasu! I'm really impressed!" I responded sincerely, before proceeding to raise my Shield and switching it to one of my most recent acquisitions: The Complete Greatshield. However, as the Shield manifested, it's vast increase in weight became quickly apparent, and so I quickly grasped it with both hands, facing it directly at Motoyasu's Spear. "But can your technique match up to the most powerful of my defensive skills? Let's find out!"

Wasting no more words, Motoyasu launched his Spear at me as we both called out our techniques at the same time:

"AIR-BURST FLARE LANCE!" "FINAL DEFENSE!"

As Motoyasu's attack was about to impact upon my Shield, it was met a by a grey magical barrier that blocked its path. The techniques pushed against each other, each having a temporary moment of getting the upper hand, but it was my skill that won the day as Motoyasu's attack eventually fizzled out completely against my Shield's barrier, rendering his Combo skill, and any hope he had of winning this duel, useless.

"H-How? How were you able to hold back my Combo attack?!" Motoyasu stammered incredulously, unable to believe what had just transpired.

"Has it dawned upon you yet Motoyasu?" I replied, a vicious smirk stretching across my face as a list of Combo skills popped up in my Status Menu. "You put all your hopes on that attack, certain that it would defeat me. But now that it has failed, you have given me access to that same set of skills which I can now use to win this duel!" With these words, I momentarily looked back at my companions, all of whom now had determined looks on their faces. "You all ready to end this?" I asked.

"YEAH!" They all cried as one.

"Let's do it then!" I roared, turning my head back to look at Motoyasu as I gave my first command. "Raphtalia, strike at Motoyasu and go dark!"

"Right!" Raphtalia cried, and as she ran and leapt to attack Motoyasu, she cast First Hiding, which was my cue to activate my first Combo Attack.

"Air Strike Shield! Combo skill: Hiding Shield!" As the familiar ethereal green Shield appeared in front of Raphtalia, she proceeded to vanish from sight, paving the way for me to use my follow-up skill.

"Change Shield! Come forth, Soul-Eater Shield!" At my words, the ethereal Shield created from Air Strike Shield morphed into the face of a Soul-Eater, which proceeded to open its maw and engulf Motoyasu's head between its teeth. As Motoyasu struggled in vain to try and break free, the Shield chomped away at him relentlessly, draining his mana which, as the skill expired and the Soul-Eater's head vanished, transferred over to me, instantly topping up my mana pool.

"How dare you steal my mana!" Motoyasu roared. "Screw this! I can beat you without using any of my skills! Prepare to die, Fergus!" With these words, he charged me once more.

"You never learn Motoyasu!" I cried out angrily, and using the same move I used during our fight at the arena, I waited for him thrust his Spear at me, and as he did so, I dodged to the side, letting the blade pass under my left arm before trapping it between my arm and chest once again.

"I won't lose to you! I can't!" He cried desperately, trying and failing to free his trapped weapon. This left him vulnerable to an attack, and Filo didn't need to be told twice as she transformed once more into her Filolial form.

"High Quick Kick!" She cried, directing a fierce kick once more at his crotch. And for the third time, Motoyasu was sent flying, crying out in pain all the while.

"Sir Motoyasu!" Malty cried fearfully upon noticing her Hero's plight, but this too left her wide open for an attack.

"You're done for!" Raphtalia's voice cried out as she reappeared directly in front of Malty, slashing her across the chest with her ethereal blade.

"Filthy…demi-human…" Malty croaked as she slumped forward before collapsing. Two down, two to go.

"Myne!" Motoyasu's other party members cried out upon seeing their companion fall. This diversion in their attention allowed Keel to strike.

"Light Arrow!" He cried, nocking and firing an arrow which knocked the staff out of the hands of one of them, and as they tried to react, he fired another Light Arrow at the other one, knocking the staff out of her hands as well.

"Damn you, Fergus!" Motoyasu cried out as he struggled to his knees. "How dare you force your party members to fight on your behalf!"

"You still don't understand do you Motoyasu?" I responded as my Shield returned to its original form, folding my arms and shaking my head at him with disappointment. "I don't force them to do anything. We're a team who fights alongside one another, and by working as one, we can beat any foe that crosses our path! Now get ready for the encore!"

At my words, Melty and Filo, back in her human form, stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder as they raised their hands.

"Let my Water Magic combine with Filo's Wind Magic to engulf our enemies!" Melty called.

"Let my Wind Magic combine with Melty's Water Magic to blow our enemies away!" Filo cried out in response.

"COMBO SPELL: TYPHOON!" They cried together as their magic burst from their hands, joining together to create a devastating Typhoon attack that proceeded to strike Motoyasu and his party full force, flinging them high into the air before sending them crashing back into the ground with four satisfying THUD noises!

As I watched them land, I couldn't help but smile and pump my fist in victory. Despite the massive gulf in level between our parties, and despite the fact my Shield was a defensive weapon, we'd beaten Motoyasu and his party!

§

As the realisation of what we had just accomplished dawned on the members of my party, they all let out a cheer as they celebrated our unlikely victory.

"We did it, Filo! We make a great team!" Melty said to Filo, to which the Filolial responded by giving her a high five.

"You did amazing Keel, well done!" Raphtalia cried exuberantly as she hugged her fellow demi-human.

"Thanks, Raphtalia, you did great too!" Keel responded as he returned the hug.

As this was going on, I couldn't help but watch with a smile as I took a moment to bask in our victory before addressing them. "You were all great," I called out as I approached them, and in response, four pairs of delighted-looking eyes looked my way. "This victory wouldn't have been possible without any one of you, and as a result, it belongs to us all."

I then held my hand out, palm facing to the ground as I spoke once more. "As long as we're a team, the five of us, nothing and no-one can beat us. Am I right?"

"YEAH!" Filo cheered as she laid her hand on top of mine. Raphtalia smiled as she proceeded to put her hand on top of Filo's, which was quickly followed by Keel putting his hand over hers. Melty looked slightly confused at what was going on for a second before she too smiled, putting her hand on top of Keel's. Now that our hands were all in, we raised them as one and let out a victory cheer.

And as we proceeded to start hugging one another, I suddenly heard a shuffle from behind us. "How? How the hell were you able to beat us? You haven't even upgraded your classes yet!" I heard Motoyasu call out, and as we turned around we saw him struggling to get to his feet. "It's that Brainwashing Shield of yours, it must be! How else could you have got such strength?"

I let out a sigh at his continued ignorance as we all approached him. "You still don't get it, do you Motoyasu?" I explained, looking down at him in disgust. "Whilst you and your party levelled up rapidly and then proceeded to start playing hero, we have been grinding our asses off since the beginning. By carrying out tasks and quests that you and the others would have viewed as mundane, we've been able to level up, acquire new skills and perfect them, and really gel together as a team. That's why, even though you lot are a much higher level than us, we were able to beat you so easily."

"You're lying!" He shot back as he finally got to his feet, using his Spear to support himself. "It surely can't be that simple?!"

"It really is that simple Motoyasu," I replied in an exasperated tone. "You lost fair and square, now stop being such a stubborn ass and listen to what I have to say."

"No, it doesn't matter what you say. I refuse to listen to you!" Motoyasu replied angrily with a shake of his head. "I have to avenge Ren and Itsuki, and I have to free Raphtalia, Princess Melty, Filo and that other demi-human from your brainwashing! I cannot stand by and watch them be the Devil's prisoners, not as long as I live! You know why? Because I am the god-damned Spear Hero!"

"You're exactly right Sir Motoyasu!" Malty called out in admiration as she finally got to her knees. "Now bring me the Devil of the Shield's head!" Motoyasu nodded at her words as he levelled his Spear at me once more, no doubt intending to carry on the fight.

I sighed, facepalming again in exasperation. "Just get over your damned hero complex already and start facing reality. There's more at stake than you realise." I told him, but as I finished speaking, I suddenly heard an anxious gasp from Filo.

"What is it, Filo?" Melty asked as I turned to look around at them, noticing that Filo was looking around the surrounding area with a nervous expression as if something was out of place. And it wasn't just her who noticed something was off.

"Wait a minute, all of those soldiers from earlier…they've gone!" Keel realised, and as I look to the left and right of me, and up at the gate, I saw that he was correct. There were no soldiers there at all.

"They must have left whilst the duel was going on," Raphtalia muttered with a frown. "Something is really off here…" All of a sudden she was interrupted as Filo, with a cry of realisation, transformed into her Filolial form and proceeded to deliver a kick to one of Motoyasu's party members, sending them flying.

"Filo, what are you doing?!" I asked, shocked by her behaviour as she carried on, kicking the other magic caster before proceeding to kick Malty, resulting in all three of them crashing into the Spear-Hero before falling to the ground in a heap. But before I question her any further, she ran over to me, a manic expression on her face.

"MASTER! Bring our your nasty Shield and lots of other Shields right now!" She cried frantically. "If you don't we'll all be done for!"

"Filo what are you-?"

"JUST DO IT!" She screeched, cutting me off.

I quickly looked at the others before nodding, deciding to put my trust in Filo's judgement. "All right then. Come forth, SHIELD OF WRATH!" The familiar red-and-black Shield appeared on my arm, as did the black dragon-scale armour all across my body.

"SHIELD PRISON!" This brought out the familiar cage of Shields that proceeded to surround both myself and Motoyasu's party. But Filo shook her head, crying out that we needed more, and so I lifted my Shield over my head. "AIR STRIKE SHIELD! SECOND SHIELD!" I yelled, visualising the two ethereal Shields appearing in the air above the Shield Prison. I just hoped that would be enough for whatever was coming our way.

"What on earth is going on here? And just what the hell do you think you are doing?!" Malty asked rudely.

"Oh just shut up, won't you?!" Melty snapped back, glaring at her sister.

"Here it comes! Everyone get ready!" Filo cried, bracing himself. Melty, Raphtalia and Keel all instantly clung onto her fur, and after a moment's hesitation, all of Motoyasu's party-members started clinging to one another as we all waited with bated breath for whatever was about to happen.

It didn't take long for it to arrive as all of a sudden we heard a large explosion from above us, followed by the sounds of shattering as whatever it was broke through my Second Shield and then my Air Strike Shield before crashing down upon the Shield Prison. Although it held off the attack briefly, I could see the cracks starting to form in the Prison as everything started rumbling around us, causing everyone to cry out as they continued to hold on desperately to one another. I stood my ground in the centre of the prison, lifting my Shield over my head and readying myself for the inevitable.

And I am so glad I did because the instant I braced myself the Prison cracked, shattering into pieces as a huge golden beam of light proceeded to come down on us. I quickly intercepted the attack with Shield, but the pressure was immense! Not since I had got to this world had I felt an attack of such power, it was all I could do to stay on my feet and keep it back as I let out a huge roar of effort. And just when I felt myself buckling, the attack thankfully fizzled out.

"_Holy. Fucking. Shit!_" I shouted in my head as I fell to my knees, completely exhausted by my efforts as everyone around me gasped in horror. Looking around as best as I could, I instantly saw why they were reacting that way. The impact of the attack had devastated the land around us, forming a large crater which we were currently in the middle of.

"Master Fergus!" I heard Raphtalia cry out, swiftly followed by the sound of footsteps as she ran over and knelt at my side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm-I'm okay…Is everyone else okay?" I wheezed in response, giving her a thumbs up.

"We're all okay Fergus!" Melty called out from behind me as Keel and Filo both made similar declarations.

"Sir Motoyasu and his party are okay as well," Raphtalia said with a quick glance over my head.

"That's….that's good to hear…" I muttered, before realising just what I said. "Damn, I really must be in bad shape if I'm so concerned about Motoyasu and Princess Bitch all of sudden…"

"Malty, what the hell was that?" I heard Motoyasu ask his party-member.

"I only know of one person who could cast such a powerful attack," Malty replied, her voice trembling with a fear that most of the time I would have found amusing instead of worrying. "But surely it can't have been-?" She started to ask before she was cut off by the sound of hands clapping from far above us.

"How remarkable," a very familiar voice called out, no doubt the same person who was currently clapping. "You took Judgement, an exceedingly powerful ritual spell, head-on and survived. Truly, I expected nothing less from the Shield-Hero!"

"_I know that voice!_" I realised, and as I looked up to where the voice and clapping were coming from, a robed figure appeared at the edge of the crater, my eyes widened as I saw exactly who I thought it was: The High Priest from the capital!

"I-It's the Pope!" Malty cried as she too recognised who it was.

"I remember you! From the cathedral in the capital!" I called out to him as memories from our last meeting flooded through the mind, the realisation of what exactly he was doing here dawning on me. He was the leader of the Three Heroes Church, the organisation trying to kill me!

"You do remember me then? Then surely you are aware of your sins?" The Pope responded.

"What do you mean by 'my sins'?" I asked, puzzled.

"You received a precious gift of the purest Holy Water from God, but refused to thank him for his generosity!" He declared, glaring at me as he spoke.

"You're wrong! I was more than thankful for what you did for me!" I interrupted loudly.

"You also deceived the people and turned them against the Church! For that, you must be punished! And as God's representative, it is my duty to purify you and bring an end to your transgressions!" He continued, ignoring my outburst in the process.

"All I did was help them in their time of need! I had no intention of turning them against the faith, nor did I encourage them to do so!" I yelled back in response, causing him to lose his composure slightly and snarl at me.

However, before he could respond, Malty beat him to it. "Pope Balmus, have you realised what you almost did?!" She shouted angrily, a frenzied expression on her face. "You almost killed the next Queen of Melromarc as well as the Spear-Hero!"

"_What a presumptuous bitch!_" I thought angrily to myself as Balmus proceeded to respond.

"The Spear-Hero and his party, including the Princess, were killed by the Devil of the Shield. Or at least that's the story we'll be telling the world," He replied in a smooth voice. "As far as God is concerned, you are all dead already, and once the lives of those who have been marked for death are ended, all will be right with the world once more. Everything shall be as God intended!"

"He's insane.." Raphtalia muttered in response to his ramblings.

"What's your end game here Balmus? What are you trying to accomplish by having us all killed?" I proceeded to ask, wondering what on earth could drive a man of faith towards such actions.

"Why, to establish a new government to rule in the place of the royal family, not that you will live to see it, Devil of the Shield," Balmus explained calmly, which drew a shocked gasp from Melty and an angry retort from Malty.

"That's preposterous!" Malty spluttered. "Melromarc has always been a monarchy, and only my family are fit to-!"

"-fit to abuse and disrespect the church and who would look down on the apostles of God himself?" Balmus snapped, cutting Malty off as he spoke. "No more! This country does not need such blasphemy!"

"And who are you to decide that you deluded old man?!" I shouted angrily, hardly believing the next words that I was going to say but, fuck it, they needed to be said. "I can't believe I'm saying this but Malty is right! Her family are the rightful rulers of Melromarc, both by right of succession and in the minds of the people, and I highly doubt that they will simply accept a change of government, even if it is one propped up by religion!"

"'Rightful rulers,'" Balmus scoffed. "The royalty of this country are nothing more than a pestilence, just like their supposed Heroes. The Heroes we worship are beings of legend who have saved the world over and over again from the Waves, and yet this current bunch of Heroes have done more harm than good."

He then proceeded to glare at Motoyasu and I as he continued. "The Spear-Hero, who released a sealed monster upon the world. The Sword-Hero, who caused an epidemic. The Bow-Hero, who ignored his duties to serve himself. And the Devil of the Shield, who has subverted the minds of the populace against the true faith. These Heroes who damage the country and shake the people's faith are nothing more than imposters!"

"I only planted that seed because I wanted to help the people who were suffering! I had no idea it was cursed!" Motoyasu interjected, and as much as it pained me to realise it, I found myself agreeing with him.

"Even though they all screwed up massively, they all did go about their tasks with the intent of saving people's lives." I found myself saying in their defence, which caused Balmus to scoff.

"Your arrogance and foolishness speak volumes!" He replied. "This also applies to both the Sword-Hero and the Bow-Hero when they tried to investigate matters far beyond their station, thereby causing God's Judgement to fall upon them!"

At these words, both my hopes and my fears were realised: My faith in Ren had been well placed as it seemed he had taken my advice and investigated the activity of the Church with Itsuki's assistance, just as I hoped he would. But in doing so, I had put them straight in the firing line! If what Balmus was saying was true, the Church must have used the Judgement spell to try and kill them as well!

"It was you! You were the ones who tried to kill Ren and Itsuki, and then had your little Pawn here pin their death on me!" I yelled, flinging an arm towards Malty as I spoke, still fully convinced that Ren and Itsuki were still alive.

Motoyasu's eyes widened as he finally used what logic he had to reach the same conclusion. "You mean…that it wasn't Fergus who killed them after all?" He stammered.

"Oh, that's just typical!" I snorted. "You refuse to believe me when I prove my innocence, and yet you'll believe the words of the guy trying to kill us?! Really smart leap in logic there Motoyasu!"

Our back and forth only prompted Balmus to bellow with laughter. "Enough! It's time to end this farce!" He proclaimed as one of his followers handed him a golden sword, which he then proceeded to lift over his head. "Judgement will now fall upon the false Spear-Hero and the Devil of the Shield who cling so desperately to life! At last, this country will now be given righteous order!"

"Fergus! Be careful!" Melty cried as I proceeded to hold my Shield up whilst staring back at the Pope defiantly.

**Wait, Fergus is sticking up for Motoyasu AND MALTY?! IN WHAT POSSIBLE UNIVERSE?! Granted, when it comes to the Pope, anything goes but still! Pigs have flown!**

**Really hoped you enjoyed reading that chapter! Looks like we've once again gone about 11,500 words! But like I said, length doesn't matter to me, as long as I am sticking to one chapter per episode. With that out of the way, let's get to the changes in this chapter even though the main plot from the anime remained the same, most of which will revolve around Keel:**

**1) Keel's clothes - This one of the first things I realised before I started writing this chapter, as they would rip apart as soon as he started levelling. Thankfully a quick fix was on hand as I simply had Fitoria cast a spell on his current clothes so that they would adapt as his body grew.**

**2) Keel's level grind and camping for the night - I wanted Keel's level grind to happen over the course of an entire day so that he could get a lot of level-ups before the duel, which leads to the gang camping on the same platform that we see them resting on in the anime for the night**

**3) Keel's spells and techniques - To keep things simple, since both Raphtalia and Keel are demi-humans (even though they are technically different sub-species), I had it so Keel had the same affinities for magic that Raphtalia had. I am of course aware of what else Keel can do, and that will be dealt with as it was in the source material later down the line. As for the arrow techniques, I just kept things very simple for the time being, nothing overly complicated. There will be more of these techniques in the future **

**4) The duel - Two main things that had to change here. I wanted more Raphtalia involvement, so she got her chance to shine by slugging it out with Motoyasu during the first stages of the duel. And there was the impact Keel would have on the duel, so I had his role be to thwart whatever the other two magic-casters in Motoyasu's party had planned.**

**5) Final Defense - Remember what I said about Fergus' Complete Greatshield having its own unique ability? There it is, a technique that will successfully block any spell that is cast against it, no matter how powerful it is, as well as completely nullify any special effects from that spell. However, the drawback is the same as the Shield-Axe's true form, Heartseeker: It can only be used once a day to block one spell, so again Fergus has to bust it out at the right time to guard against a powerful spell. Would have been very useful against the Judgement spell right? Well Fergus didn't know that would be coming, which is why he used it to counter Motoyasu's Air-Burst Flare Lance**

**That made me re-think one or two other things…I was originally thinking of giving the other Heroes a similar weapon to the Axe-Shield, a weapon that once enough power is built up will allow the user to change its form to something a lot more powerful that can be used for the following 90 seconds. However, the only one I could have possibly made that work for was Ren, and the idea I had for him was Dual Blades. Try as I might, I couldn't think of workable versions for Motoyasu and Itsuki, and so I'm scrapping the idea and having Fergus' Axe-Shield be the exception.**

**Speaking of which, I've decided to have the Axe-Shield and the other unique Shields that Fergus has acquired be part of their own tree: The Unique Series, which when complete will consist of 4 Shields: The Shield of the First Avenger, The Axe-Shield, The Complete Greatshield, and the final one which we will discover on Cal Mira. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but I can reveal one thing: Its unique ability will have the same once-a-day cast limit as the Axe-Shield and the Complete Greatshield.**

**Wow, I really have waffled on there, sorry about that! So let me end by once again thanking everyone for the support they have given, especially all those who have favourited and followed this story. As of writing this chapter, this story is at 817 favourites and 980 follows, only 20 off of 1,000…which I never thought possible when I first started writing it. So thank you thank you THANK YOU once again for all of the love! **

**So until next time, this is theoneandonlyedster, signing out for now and I will see you in the next one! Speaking of…**

**Next time…Will the Four Heroes be able to get on the same page? **


	24. Ch 22 - The Reasons You Suck

**HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS! This story has gone over the 1,000 followers mark, along with 850 favourites and 400 reviews! I am absolutely speechless. When I first started this story I would have been happy with around 100 follows/favourites but would never have expected to get to those milestones, let alone the numbers they have actually got to. So THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the support you have shown this story, I appreciate every single one of you from the bottom of my heart, and I promise that as long as I can do so I will keep writing.**

**Now that that's out of the way, onto the next chapter! When I first outlined it and saw what I was going to be writing, I thought it was going to be a mammoth task, especially when it came to about three-quarters of the way through (Not gonna spoil but you'll see when you get there) but the words just flowed and I really enjoyed writing it. Cannot believe I'm going to be on the final stretch soon but I'm looking forward to what's to come, as well as some of the stories I have planned after this.**

**That being said, I hope you enjoy reading the chapter. Can our heroes get out of this sticky predicament? And will Fergus and Motoyasu get on the same page? Let's find out! As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 22 - The Reasons You Suck

_"Enough! It's time to end this farce!" He proclaimed as one of his followers handed him a golden sword, which he then proceeded to lift over his head. "Judgement will now fall upon the false Spear-Hero and the Devil of the Shield who cling so desperately to life! At last, this country will now be given righteous order!"_

_"Fergus! Be careful!" Melty cried as I proceeded to hold my Shield up whilst staring back at the Pope defiantly_

§

"_What on earth is that thing?_" I wondered as the Pope finished charging up his attack before firing a beam of holy light in our general direction. Acting purely on instinct, not giving a thought to the kind of people I was saving, I ran forward and was able to hold back the attack on my Shield of Wrath. However, the effort in doing so took a lot out of me, I could feel my arms getting number and number the longer I held it back, but thankfully the attack stopped before my arms went completely dead.

"_Fuck…_" I thought to myself in exhaustion, breathing heavily as I tried my best to recover. "_That took a lot out of me. Between that and the Judgement attack, I'm reaching my limit. I'm not sure how much more I can take…_"

"You are remarkably tough for a Devil," Balmus commented with amusement, betraying no surprise at how I was still standing.

"Keep it coming, I can do this all day!" I retorted fiercely, hoping my bluff would unnerve him slightly.

It didn't. "Fortunately you won't need to do it all day," he replied smoothly. "The attacks you have blocked so far were merely tests. However, the time for testing is over, and I'm looking forward to exacting God's judgement upon you."

"_THOSE WERE TESTS?!_" I thought with panic. "_How powerful is this guy? And that weapon?_" My thoughts were interrupted as the Pope's Sword suddenly glowed gold as it's appearance changed from that of a Sword into an almost perfect copy of Motoyasu's Spear, which caused everyone to gasp in horror.

"T-That can't be possible!" Malty stuttered.

"Surely that isn't what I think it is?" Melty gasped, her face increasingly pale.

"How can a Sword turn into a Spear? It doesn't make sense!" Motoyasu asked in disbelief.

"It's because that weapon isn't any ordinary weapon!" Melty responded. "It's a Replica of the Cardinal Weapons!"

"A REPLICA?!" Motoyasu and I both gasped, our fight with the Pope completely forgotten in the wake of this new information.

"How is that possible? Surely nothing can compare to the original Legendary Weapons?" Keel wondered, his gaze transfixed on the weapon in the Pope's hands.

"And how on earth could he have possibly gotten his hands on it?" Raphtalia asked as a follow-up to Keel's question.

"A long time ago, somebody experimented in trying to find a way to duplicate the Cardinal Weapons of the Legendary Heroes for their own personal gain," Melty explained. "It was designed to be the ultimate weapon that could change form between all four of the Legendary Weapons and use the skills of each one of them. But I was told it had been lost centuries ago!"

"If that weapon's what you say it is, then that bastard is clearly cheating!" Motoyasu exclaimed, causing me to sigh in annoyance.

"Oh for fuck's sake Motoyasu, do you really think he's going to care about cheating when he's trying to kill us?!" I retorted. "So instead of worrying whether or not he's cheating, start worrying about the fact that this weapon is real and could end our lives in one blast!"

"Hey Myne, is everything your sister said true?" Motoyasu then proceeded to ask his party-member as my words shot straight over his head, much to my annoyance.

"How am I supposed to know?!" Malty spluttered in response, which drew a sigh from her sister.

"That weapon is the stuff of legends!" She replied in exasperation. "Anyone familiar with the history of Melromarc or church history would know all about it!"

"Told you she was the brains in her family," I said with a smirk, causing Malty to grit her teeth in annoyance as Raphtalia, Filo and Keel giggled at my words.

"But what I want to know is, how on earth did we not know about this until now?" Melty wondered, turning her gaze back to the Pope. "Finding the Replica weapon should have been headline news!"

"They've obviously been keeping a secret until now, waiting for the right time to unveil it," I reasoned. "But if that's the case, why hasn't it been used up until now? After all, a weapon of that power would have been more than a match for the Waves"

"Yes, the weapon is powerful, but it requires a huge amount of mana to fuel its attacks," Melty explained. "With that Judgement spell and that last attack, the Pope must have drained the mana completely from quite a number of his followers."

"_Even though they're sacrificing themselves willingly, to use people as fuel to power a weapon shows a complete lack of respect for life in general,_" I thought angrily, glaring back at the Pope. "_How can he possibly call himself a man of faith after all he's done?!_"

The object of my anger started clapping, a delighted expression on his face. "It is no wonder that Princess Melty is the first in line to the throne," he spoke. "After all, she is so well educated. Such a shame the said cannot be said for her conniving sister, who would much rather concoct conspiracies and schemes." This caused Malty to glare at him as he turned his head to address his followers.

"The war we wage today is between us, the faithful servants of our God, and the Devil of the Shield. The holiest of crusades!" He proclaimed. "Oh chosen of the faithful, offer up your prayers to this legendary weapon of divine power so that we may purge this world of the false Spear Hero and the Devil of the Shield!" At his words, his followers eagerly knelt and began to pray, their chants being converted into beams of energy that started flowing into the Replica weapon, causing it to glow once more.

§

Since I didn't know how long it would take for the Pope to charge the weapon, I knew every second counted, and as such, I did a quick analysis of the situation. In short, it wasn't looking good. There didn't seem to be any way out for us, I was at my limit, and the rest of Motoyasu's party was still recovering from our earlier duel. So if we were going to do anything right now, it would be up to Raphtalia, Filo, Melty, Keel and Motoyasu. Still, despite my condition, I was determined to give everything I had as well.

"I can probably take one or two more attacks from that weapon, but anything more than that and I doubt I'll be able to survive. As such it's up to the rest of you to do something about the Pope," I quickly summarised, deciding not to sugar-coat the truth as I turned round to address everyone, before turning my head in Melty's direction. "Mel, is there anything we can do about his followers?" I proceeded to ask her.

She shook her head in response. "There's too many of them to take out by conventional means," she said in a grim tone. "And with such a huge mana pool their magical resistance will be off the charts, so spells won't work against them either."

"_Makes sense,_" I thought to myself as I turned back to look at the Pope, still in the midst of charging his weapon. "Well, in that case, our only hope is cut off the head of the snake. We'll have to find a way to get past the Pope's weapon and strike him directly." I said in a firm voice, which drew sounds of agreement from all of my companions.

However, I was completely unprepared for what happened next.

Motoyasu chose that moment to step forward in front of us, pushing me out of the way as he did so, his face set determinedly and fist clenched whilst using his other hand to level his Spear in the Pope's direction. "I will not stand for what is going on!" He proclaimed in a loud voice. "You manipulate us all for your own selfish goals, and once we are of no more use to you, you'll just toss us aside like refuse! There are truly no depths to your evil, and as a Cardinal Hero I must punish you for your crimes!"

Crickets followed as my companions and I all looked at him, completely dumbfounded by his words. "_Of all the possible moments, he chooses this one to start acting like a righteous Hero? Moron…_" I thought to myself exasperatedly as my companions each let out a sigh.

"Does Sir Motoyasu really believe what he is saying right now?" Raphtalia wondered in a weary tone.

"Is the Spear-Hero always like this?" Keel asked, though he too didn't seem impressed by Motoyasu's act of bravado.

In the end, it was left to Filo, back in her human form once more, to summarise things perfectly: "Spear Guy is so annoying…"

If he heard anything we just said, Motoyasu didn't show it as he continued to address the Pope. "Prepare yourself, Pope! I will end your evil right now, and in so doing, avenge the deaths of Ren and Itsuki! LIGHTNING SPEAR!" Once more, a bolt of lightning shot off the end of his Spear, heading directly at the Pope. However, before it could hit, a magical barrier appeared in front of his intended target and deflected his attack easily.

The Pope laughed uproariously whilst Motoyasu could only gasp at how effortlessly his attack was blocked. "He's got a barrier AND a super-powerful weapon? Just how over-powered is this guy?"

"Whilst that barrier's up, we won't stand a chance of hurting him. We have to find a way to break through it before we can deal any sort of damage," Melty said, her eyes round with worry.

I nodded in response. "If the four of you attack at once, we might have a chance to do something about…" I was saying before Motoyasu suddenly turned around and placed a hand on my shoulder, causing me to stop talking as he looked at me with an expression of grim determination on his face before uttering the last words I ever expected to hear from him.

"Fergus, it's time for us to work together. Only by combining our strength can we overcome this threat."

"_Wait, he can't be serious surely?_" I thought to myself incredulously, but as I looked back at him I could see no hint of falseness in his tone or expression. "_Oh shit, he's actually being serious!_" But before I could respond, Motoyasu turned to look over at his party members, who proceeded to nod at his words

"He will pay dearly for daring to murder the next Queen! ZWEIT FIRE!" Malty cried as she fired another fire spell at Motoyasu's spear, his other party members doing the same with wind spells, and just like the last time he had used this attack, fire and wind proceeded to wrap themselves around Motoyasu's spear as he prepared to attack.

I, however, was not in the mood to help him whatsoever. "_Does that idiot, who barely ten minutes ago was trying to kill me, really expect me to team up with him just like that?!_" I thought to myself angrily. "_Screw that! If he wants to play Hero then he can do so all he wants. I'll only intervene if it looks like he's going to get himself killed_." Judging by the sighs I could hear from my party-members, I had zero doubt that they were thinking the exact same thing.

"This is the end for you! BURST FLARE LANCE!" Motoyasu yelled as he launched his combo attack which proceeded hit the barrier dead on, causing a large amount of smoke to form from the impact.

"That ought to do it," Motoyasu said with finality, clenching his fist, but from out of the smoke we could hear the Pope start to laugh, and as the smoke cleared we saw that once again, Motoyasu's attack had done zero damage.

"You really are a disgrace false Spear-Hero," he spoke in a tone of annoyance. "Why don't you just stand there and accept God's merciful judgement instead of carrying on your futile resistance!"

The Pope's remarks, however, only served to enrage Motoyasu even further. "I'll show you just how futile we are! METEOR THRUST!" He yelled, spinning his Spear rapidly before thrusting it towards the Pope, firing off his latest attack in the process. However, just like all the others, this attack too faltered against the Pope's barrier.

"My barrier is nothing like the Shield that the Devil uses! It is completely impregnable!" He proceeded to boast, a smug expression on his face.

Motoyasu growled at the Pope's cocky attitude and would have attacked him once more if I hadn't suddenly stepped up and grabbed Motoyasu's shoulder, pulling him back in the process. "Stop Motoyasu, that's enough!" I said in a firm voice.

"We have to keep trying! If we don't-!" Motoyasu tried to argue. However, I cut him off with a pointed glare.

"Motoyasu, LISTEN! TO! ME!" I spoke up again in the same fierce tone from before. "There's a famous saying in my world: 'The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result'. And you're proving that right now! No matter how many times you attack, the result will be the same every time! We have to think of something else!"

"He's right!" Melty spoke up before Motoyasu could retort. "Judging by the sheer amount of mana being poured into maintaining that barrier, it's going to be virtually unbreakable."

"Enough! It's time to end this!" The Pope cried out, cutting our conversation short as we looked up and noticed, with alarm, his weapon glowing fiercely once more. As we watched, he proceeded to swipe the Spear to the side, causing a wall of flames to appear all around us which forced everyone to shrink away instinctively.

"Did you like that?" He gloated as he levelled the Spear towards Motoyasu and I. "That was only a fraction of my power, and all it took was a simple flick of my wrists. Now that my weapon is fully powered, it won't take much effort to both purify a Devil and eradicate the false Spear-Hero!"

"I doubt he's lying," I muttered grimly as the full scope of our dire situation became very apparent to me: We were completely at his mercy and there was nothing we could do about it. "A couple of attacks from that thing and we'll be reduced to ashes…"

"It can't be…surely this can't be how it ends…" Raphtalia said despairingly, and as I looked back at them I could see the same despair reflected on the faces of everyone present. Even Malty, usually so cocky and sure of herself, looked resigned to her fate.

"Damnit…" Motoyasu grimaced as the reality of the situation finally dawned on him.

The Pope smirked as he proceeded to charge another attack with his weapon. "It is time! Let God's merciful judgement be bestowed upon on our enemies!" He triumphantly proclaimed, when all of a sudden…

"RAIN OF SWORDS!" "METEOR SHOT!"

"Huh?" The Pope looked up with a frown before his eyes widened at what he saw heading his way. He got his weapon up just in the nick of time as a flurry of blue swords struck at his barrier, which was shortly followed by a charged arrow that succeeded in piercing the barrier, causing him to fall to a knee. "That's…not possible…" he muttered in disbelief as one of his attendants rushed to assist him.

"Hang on, I recognise those voices! Is it really them?" Raphtalia exclaimed as we all turned around to look towards where those voices had come from, our eyes widening at what we saw.

"It can't be…I thought they were dead!" Motoyasu stammered in disbelief.

As for myself, I couldn't help but let out a smirk as I saw my faith rewarded. "I know they weren't dead," I said in a tone of relief.

For standing on top of the crater were two figures: one with dark hair, clad in dark blue armour and holding the Legendary Sword, whilst the other was clad in light brown/yellow armour, sported blonde curly hair and was currently grasping the Legendary Bow.

Ren Amaki and Itsuki Kawasumi, the Sword and Bow Heroes, had arrived!

"Look! It's Sword Guy and Bow Guy!" Filo cried excitedly, jumping up and down in glee.

"So those are the other Legendary Heroes, the Sword-Hero and the Bow-Hero…" Keel said in an awed voice.

"Looks like we got here just in time!" Itsuki announced with a smirk on his face.

"_For the first time in a long time, I completely agree with you Itsuki,_" I thought to myself, monetarily forgetting my issues with the Bow-Hero, so glad was I to see them.

§

"Ren! Itsuki! You guys are alive?! How is that possible?" Motoyasu exclaimed as Ren and Itsuki slid their way down into the crater and joined up with us.

"Oh for fuck's sake Motoyasu, use your what little brainpower you have for once and figure out that they were never dead to begin with!" I growled in annoyance as I bonked him on the head, causing him to cry out in pain as I turned and smiled at Ren and Itsuki. "It's good to see you both, you've arrived just in the nick of time."

"Don't kill us off just yet," Ren replied with a smile before plunging his Sword into the ground, casting Rain of Swords once more. The Pope, however, was able to reapply his barrier just in time to block the attack.

"Dedicate half of the mages to maintaining the barrier and holding off the Heroes' attack!" The Pope grimly ordered to his attendant, his previous smug attitude deflated slightly by Ren and Itsuki's arrival.

"Is that wise your Eminence?" The attendant asked. "Taking away half of the mages will only increase the amount of time we will need to fully charge your weapon."

The Pope merely brushed off the query with a confident smirk. "The Heroes will need that time to come to terms with their sins and then fall upon our mercy, no need for concern."

"Oi, Pope! Quit ignoring us!" Itsuki called out, interrupting their conversation as he shot an arrow from his Bow. "RAIN OF DESTRUCTION!" His arrow glowed and proceeded to split into multiple copies which rained down on the Pope's barrier, which once more held under the attack. "Damn that barrier's annoying…" He muttered.

"Now hold on a moment, you two still haven't answered my question!" Motoyasu exclaimed loudly, catching everyone's attention. "How the hell are you two alive? I was told you were dead!"

I sighed and facepalmed myself once more whilst Ren proceeded to look at the Spear-Hero in exasperation. "We very nearly were, but we made it out alive," Ren proceeded to explain. "The Church's trap didn't do its job properly."

"What are you talking about? Where have you two been all this time?" Motoyasu asked.

"I believe I am partially responsible for that," I spoke up, causing everyone's heads to turn in my direction. "After our last encounter, I asked Ren to investigate the Three Heroes' Church as I reckoned they were the ones behind it all."

Ren nodded at my words before explaining his side of the tale. "Itsuki and I had felt something was off about the Church for a while, but it was only after Fergus' tip-off that we decided to conduct our own investigation. During our search through the Church's archives, we found a secret file that had been hidden there."

"It described a Replica of the Cardinal Weapons and where it was hidden, so we decided to check it out for ourselves," Itsuki said, picking up the tale. "However, we never found the Replica weapon, the Church had lured us to a fake shrine where a trap was waiting for us. We would surely have died if a group of shadowy figures, who called themselves Shadows and who apparently work directly for the Queen, hadn't saved us. We owe them our lives."

"I've met these Shadows before. In fact, they were the ones who tipped me off about the Church in the first place, which makes me wonder if the Queen knew all along that the Church was going to be a problem," I pondered, stroking my chin as I processed their story. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she'd placed her Shadows in position to keep track of our movements, counter their actions and thus keep us alive."

"It makes you wonder what else the Church has been up to. After all, I'm pretty certain now that it was them who stole my reward after I overthrew that King in the country to the North," Itsuki said with a frown, turning his gaze to me. "Looks like you were framed after all, Fergus."

And just like that, any goodwill I had developed towards Itsuki vanished. He'd only just figured that out now?! "It took you that long to come to your senses?" I snorted, glaring back at the Bow-Hero. "And after you were so insistent on pinning the blame on me in the first and refused to listen to a thing I said! Maybe I should have punched you a bit harder!"

"Guess you're getting all the bad luck if you got framed for that as well," Motoyasu sighed with a shrug, patting me on the shoulder as he did so.

Oh, that was it! I couldn't hold back my anger towards this bastard any more, and so without warning, I spun around and with a savage cry decked Motoyasu square in the jaw with my left fist, the force of which sent him sprawling.

"Sir Motoyasu!" Malty cried, dashing to Motoyasu's side he rubbed his jaw, glaring at me. "OW! What the hell was that for Fergus?!" He shouted

"Master Fergus, please calm down!" Raphtalia implored, clutching my arm. But my blood was up as I shrugged her arm off and strode over to Motoyasu, my expression full of rage as I glared down at him.

"YOU 'GUESS'?! IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT TO SAY ABOUT IT?!" I roared. "ONLY A FEW MINUTES AGO YOU WERE TRYING TO KILL ME BECAUSE YOU BELIEVED I KILLED REN AND ITSUKI, EVEN AFTER I EXPLAINED TO YOU THAT IT WAS CLEARLY IMPOSSIBLE!"

"That's enough Fergus!" Itsuki snapped, which caused me to glare at him instead.

"Stay out of this Itsuki!" I yelled, before returning my angry gaze to Motoyasu as he struggled to get to his feet. "You've had that punch coming for a while Motoyasu. I've been holding back my anger and frustration towards you for a very long time, but your words just then pushed me over the edge. As far as I'm concerned, you deserve a lot worse!" I snarled.

"It's about time someone brought Motoyasu down from his high horse, but at the same time you both need to calm down," Ren interjected, getting between myself and Motoyasu. "You two take a break, Itsuki and I will handle things from here."

"Yeah, good idea…" I muttered with one final glare at Motoyasu. "After all, Motoyasu's jaw will need some time to recover." With those words, Raphtalia latched onto my arm once more as I headed back over to where my party was standing, trying my hardest to calm down all the while.

"Are you okay Sir Fergus? That behaviour is so unlike you," Keel asked concernedly, as both Filo and Melty watched me with concern.

"I'll be fine, just need a few to get the anger out of my system," I replied shortly as I turned to watch Ren and Itsuki's efforts.

"You ready Ren?" Itsuki asked as he strode forward to stand next to the Sword-Hero, bow raised and prepared to fire.

"Yeah," Ren responded before charging towards the Pope, who quickly unleashed a funnel of flames in Ren's direction which caused the land around it to start breaking apart. This move actually worked in Ren's favour as he used the broken chunks of earth as stepping stones to not only avoid the Pope's attack but close in on him as well.

At the same time, Itsuki fired another Meteor Shot which proceeded to shatter the Pope's hastily erected row of barriers. This allowed Ren to strike at him directly with a Meteor Slash, forcing his opponent to have to use his own weapon to block the attack, leading to a weapons clash. After a few seconds, both combatants broke the weapon lock, and as Ren nimbly leapt back into the crater, the Pope fell to a knee once more, the glow of his weapon fading out once again.

"He must have used too much mana to block those attacks, good job you two!" I called out, and judging by the murmurs I was hearing from up above us, the Pope's followers had started panicking as the tide of the battle shifted once more.

"Oh, and by the way, the Queen's forces are on their way here, and will be arriving imminently!" Itsuki announced, which served to frighten them even further.

"Wait, Mother's coming here?" Melty asked hopefully.

"Yeah, one of the Shadows tipped us off personally," Ren replied.

"That's the best news I've heard in a long time!" I said, my anger temporarily forgotten as I clenched my fist in triumph. "As soon as she gets here, everything will be made right!" My companions let out a cheer at my words, all of them knowing what that would entail. Finally, I would get my long-awaited justice!

"Pope Balmus, you and every one of your followers are traitors to the crown!" Itsuki continued, doing his best 'Hero of Justice' impression once more. "If you surrender now, I am sure the Queen will show you mercy!"

"This fight is over! Drop your weapons and give up at once!" Ren shouted, brandishing his Sword at the Pope.

Itsuki's words had only caused the anxieties of the Pope's followers to increase, judging by their raised voices as they spoke of what the Queen's arrival would mean for them and if they were doing the right thing. However, the Pope quickly recomposed himself before addressing his followers once more:

"My followers, do not lose your faith!" He proclaimed. "This is the ultimate battle between God and the Devil! You all knew this would be a difficult trial from the moment we undertook this most ordained task, but do not despair, for no matter the cost our victory is inevitable! We cannot lose, for God has given his blessing upon each and every one of us! It does not matter how many forces the Queen is bringing, nor does it matter how many false Heroes gather, no-one can defeat us so long as you maintain your faith in this legendary weapon and your faith in God! Please, continue lending me your strength!"

"Yes, Pope Balmus! We shall fight with you until the very end!" A voice cried back instantly, followed up by similar cries as his followers renewed their faith and rededicated their lives to his cause.

§

"_And here I was hoping we could use their panic to our advantage,_" I thought to myself with a sigh as I started thinking of strategies we could use to break through his barrier. "_No matter, now that his weapon has been weakened once more, we can go on the attack!_" With that, I waved for my party to gather around me as the other Heroes started chatting between themselves.

"Do you have a plan for breaking through that barrier Master Fergus?" Raphtalia proceeded to ask.

I nodded as I started handing out health and mana potions to everyone. "It's not much of a plan, but it's the best I could come up with on such short notice," I explained. "Ideally, I'd have us simply waiting it out until the Queen arrives, but given the power of our opponent's weapon, we have to strike him before he charges his weapon again. But my plan requires all of you to play your parts if we are to have any hope of success."

"I promised I would do whatever I could to help you, Fergus, I'm not going to back out now," Keel replied firmly. "Whatever you need from me I will do it."

The others nodded determinedly at Keel's words, causing me to smile in appreciation as I proceeded to explain what I wanted them to do: "Keel, Filo, you two will hammer the barrier with everything you have until it breaks, don't hold anything back. Once it's down, Filo and Raphtalia will attack the Pope with everything they have. Melty, you will provide magical support in both endeavours, and if there are any powerful spells you've kept hidden, now's the time to unleash them. Whilst they are attacking the Pope, Keel will keep an eye on his weapon and warn us if it has recharged, at which point you will all get behind me in case he attacks us straight away. As for me, I will focus on providing barriers and guards to block him from damaging you. Is that okay with everyone?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, at which point Melty got to her feet and held her arms out as she started casting Aqua Shield around each one of us. Keel, however, then proceeded to ask the question which I knew I should have seen coming: "Why aren't you including the other Heroes in this plan? Surely our chances of success would be greater if they fought with us."

"You aren't wrong Keel," I admitted truthfully. "However, in a battle of this magnitude, with all of our lives at stake, I can only rely on those who I trust and who I work well alongside, which is the four of you. We're a team, and I know that as long as we fight together, we can beat him!" Filo nodded in fierce determination at my words.

"And besides," I added. "Even if I wanted the other Heroes to fight at my side, which I don't, I don't trust that they'll work as part of our team. With their egos, they'd most likely try and win the fight on their own rather than as part of a group."

"Oi Fergus, what are you doing?" I heard Ren call out. With an irritated sigh, I turned my head around to see all three Heroes looking at me impatiently.

"I'm getting ready to fight the Pope alongside the members of my party, what does it look like I'm doing?" I responded, anger once more creeping into my voice.

"Now's not the time to be picky about who you fight alongside!" Itsuki replied sharply. "Our backs are against the wall, and we all need to unite to stand any chance of defeating the Pope!"

"And it's only because your backs are against the wall that you're wanting to fight alongside me in the first place!" I snapped as I got to my feet, glaring at Itsuki as I did so. "Let's face it, if our lives weren't in danger, you lot would never agree to fight alongside me. And the feeling is more than mutual! Besides, I trust and believe in my party, I know that we will prevail, and that's why I'll fight with them and not with you. But if you three want to form your own team and fight him too, go right ahead, I'm not stopping you. Just stay out of our way!"

"That's impossible! You and your party won't stand a chance on your own!" Motoyasu yelled angrily as he proceeded to get right up in my face. "You'll all end up dying for a crime you didn't commit! Is that really what you want?"

"_Oh that is so rich coming from somebody who has done nothing but falsely accuse me of crimes since the day we got here!_" I thought angrily. Raphtalia seemed to be thinking on the same wavelength as she got in between Motoyasu and me, jamming an angry finger right into his chest. "You have no right to say that after everything you have accused Fergus of doing!" She admonished him angrily, a statement which drew nods of agreement from Melty and Keel.

"Spear Guy is really annoying…" Filo moaned.

At that instant I completely forgot about the Pope, my promise to Fitoria and the threat of imminent death, or anything else of consequence for that matter. And I don't know if I was being spurred on by the Shield of Wrath or a sudden desire to unload all of my frustrations on the three Heroes standing before me, but by this point, I had simply stopped caring. I was going to give these three, and that bitch, the biggest and most deserved roasting of their lives and make them realise how badly they've been fucking up!

"And besides, even though this whole mess was started by the Three Heroes' Church, you three are responsible for allowing them to get as far as they have, regardless if you were aware of it or not," I stated, turning my slowly-forming glare towards Motoyasu as I continued. "Sure, Malty was the one who started it all by falling for their schemes and feeding into their plans with her own self-serving desire to get the throne, but you, Motoyasu, were just as culpable. Not only did you believe her lies, but by taking her into your party, you allowed her to keep getting away with everything whilst being too gullible to go against anything she said."

Motoyasu looked as though he was about to protest but I held up a firm hand to stop him before carrying on. "Do you remember that time in Lute Village where Malty tried to impose that ridiculous toll for leaving and entering the village? If you had used an ounce of brainpower instead of going along with what she said, you would have realised what she was doing was wrong. But nope, you let her get away with that too, and now she's got you so wrapped around your finger that you believe every word she says, no matter how ridiculous it is, and in so doing, you allow her to manipulate you into doing anything she wants!"

"How dare you accuse me of deceiving Sir Motoyasu!" Malty shouted at me. "I would never do such a thing!"

"You've done nothing but tell lies from the start, and kept on doing it until you became convinced your lies were the truth!" I retorted. "So in that regard, it's no surprise that you've been lying to dickhead over here because you don't know any different."

"I know you better than anyone sister, and that sounds like exactly the sort of thing you've done before," Melty piped up.

"Hey come on now, there's nothing wrong with trusting your friends!" Motoyasu tried to argue, only for Ren to put a firm hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"They both have a point you know, even we can see it," Ren reasoned. "Face it, you've gotten yourself so wrapped around your girlfriend that you've failed to see you've been doing anything wrong, so convinced are you that you're in the right."

"And I'm sure Motoyasu is sorry for what he's done," Itsuki said, trying to diffuse the situation. "Now then, let's focus on the real task at hand shall we?"

"Nah, Motoyasu isn't sorry for what he's done," I replied, still glaring at the Spear-Hero. "He can't allow himself to be sorry. After all, he's self-deluded himself into only hearing the things he wants to hear and ignoring anything that makes even the slightest bit of sense." This caused Motoyasu to snarl at me, a snarl I proceeded to ignore.

"However, that doesn't mean you two are off the hook either!" I proceeded to say, now turning my glare upon Itsuki. "Let's start with you and your so-called 'Hero of Justice' act. Yeah, you had noble intentions at the start, but over time you got so sucked in by your act that you lost sight of what you were fighting for, instead focusing on feeding your own arrogance and selfish desires! Or do I need to remind you of what you did when you went to overthrow that King in the country to the north?"

"He needed to be taught a lesson! He was mistreating and overtaxing his people!" Itsuki argued.

"I don't doubt that's what you intended, but you went about it completely the wrong way!" I shot back, taking a deep breath before proceeding to explain: "You could have revealed who you were to your fellow rebels, who I'm sure would have needed no persuading to fight alongside the great Bow-Hero, and to the people who you were meant to be liberating, who I'm sure would have opened the gates and welcomed you with open arms! And once it was all over, you could have used your title and standing to make sure the right person, somebody who would have treated the people with kindness and fairness, was set up to rule in the King's place. But you didn't. Instead, you choose to stick to the shadows and claim no responsibility for your actions, which in turn allowed you to side-step any blame for what happened in the aftermath. Whilst you were so busy going back to claim your reward, your revolutionaries took control of the country and made things ten times worse, bringing famine and poverty that forced the citizens to flee the country, many of whom died in the process of doing so!"

I then strode up to him and jabbed a finger right into his chest. "I also haven't forgiven you for trying to shoot my head off during the last Wave, and all because you put your own ego ahead of saving lives. So in that regard, you are the last person I would want to watch my back!"

I then proceeded to ignore Itsuki's resulting death-glare as I turned to address Ren, my expression softening slightly. "As for you Ren, whilst I am grateful to you for taking my warnings about the Three Heroes' Church seriously, as well as your willingness to hear me out during our last encounter, you still have to bear some responsibility for this mess, or have you forgotten about that time you left that dragon's corpse out to rot, causing an epidemic in the process?"

"Of course I haven't," Ren muttered, looking at the floor remorsefully. "But it was an accident, I never wanted any of that to happen."

"And that's the problem right there, you're trying to side-step any blame for what you did, just like the other two are doing," I sighed in response. "And yet, you were the only one who felt genuine remorse for what you did, so compared to them, you're not as bad. However, none of you can escape the fact that part of the reason why things are as dire as they are is that you didn't think your actions, or the consequences of them, through."

"Now hold on a second, it's not as though you're blameless in all of this!" Itsuki interjected angrily. "Since you seem to have all the answers, why don't you tell us what you've been up to all this time?"

"He's been cleaning up your messes!" Raphtalia responded sharply as she came to my side. "Even though he cursed each of you out for what you did, Master Fergus dropped everything else to sort out your mistakes, not out of any love for you but to save people's lives, because it was the right thing to do!"

"Face it Itsuki, Fergus isn't to blame for what we did," Ren admitted with a sigh. "In fact, it's only because of him that things that didn't get even worse."

"Yeah, it's because of you two that we're even in this mess to begin with!" Motoyasu claimed, jumping back into the argument.

"Oh like you're one to talk!" Itsuki retorted sharply, glaring at Motoyasu. "After all, you're so thick-headed that you fail to realise you're as much to blame as we are!"

"Hey, stop trying to side-step the real issues, specifically all the aforementioned trouble you two have been causing Fergus!" Motoyasu replied, trying to deflect the blame once more.

I, however, was having none of his bullshit. "They haven't caused me half as much trouble as you've done by yourself!" I interjected angrily, glaring at Motoyasu once more. "First of all, you have made multiple attempts to take my party members away from me, not for any chivalrous reasons but because you wanted another pretty face for your fucking harem! Secondly, have you already forgotten about that time you planted that cursed seed, a seed which had been sealed away for a very long time, which proceeded to over-run the entire village, spawning vines and mutating plant-monsters as well as infecting many of the villagers?"

"Hey, I only did that because they begged me to help them! I was only trying to do the right thing!" Motoyasu pointed out

Annoyingly, he had a point. "I will admit, you do have a point there, and the villagers do have to take a small amount of the blame. Not only did they blindly trust one of the Heroes, but they also did not heed the warning about the seed," I admitted grudgingly before resuming my tirade. "But at the same time, you should have been more cautious about using a seed that had sealed away for good reason! I mean, did you not even stop to read the inscription next to the chest that contained it?" Motoyasu couldn't give me an answer to that, just as I suspected.

"Oh and let's forget the most important detail shall we?" I continued, trying and failing once more to hold back my frustrations with the Spear-Hero. "You have tried to kill me, not once, but twice! And in doing so you completely disregarded the King's own warning about how the deaths of any of the Heroes would only strengthen the Waves! But no, apparently your own ego and the lies of your bitch are way more important than the fate of the world, which is more than enough reason for me to not want you fighting at my side!"

I then proceeded to look between all three of them individually as I continued: "You three have always treated this world as a game instead of reality, and because of that mindset you allowed your welcome as Heroes to go right to your heads. Instead of fulfilling your duties and being the Heroes the people wanted, you neglected your roles in order to indulge in your own selfish desires, believing you could do whatever you wanted all because you were given the title of Legendary Hero. No wonder the public are so sick and tired you!"

For the first time since I began my tirade, I noticed them squirm in uneasiness as the truth of my words hit home. In addition to that, I had just been reminded of something I'd heard during the first few days of our time here that these three needed to hear again.

"In fact, Itsuki, wasn't it you who told me back in the throne room, whilst I was being falsely accused of raping Malty, that no Hero was above the law and that they couldn't get away with doing whatever they wanted? That I didn't deserve the title of Hero?" I said pointedly, turning my gaze to the Bow-Hero as I spoke. "Then by your own logic, none of you deserve that title either!"

Itsuki looked away, momentarily ashamed at having his own words come back to bite him, as I turned to look at Ren and Motoyasu. "And let's not forget the massive ego trips you guys had when it came to fighting the Waves. You almost lost to the Soul-Eater, and then got your asses handed to you by Glass, because you only fought for yourselves instead of fighting together," I reminded them, as with one final sigh I reached the point of my tirades: "I can't believe I am saying this, but the Pope, despite his insane plans and misguided devotion, was right about us. This current bunch of Heroes are a joke, and as such it's no wonder the people have lost faith in us…"

§

"Such a farce. I can hardly bear to watch! The Four Heroes, fighting amongst themselves in the face of death," I heard the Pope call out exasperatedly, cutting me off and snapping me back to reality as I suddenly remembered about his weapon. Shit! Whilst I was rambling I had no doubt given him more than enough time to recharge it!

"This proves, once and for all, how much of a disgrace this current bunch of Heroes are," he continued, smirking as he raised his Spear directly at us. "However, I must thank you. All of your arguing has allowed me enough time to recharge my weapon. And so without further ado, I wish you goodbye and good riddance! BRIONAC!" With those words, he shot a powerful beam spell directly at us. And once again, acting on instinct, I charged in front of everyone and used my Shield of Wrath to deflect the attack. And whilst it wasn't as strong as Judgement, it still took a great effort for me to hold it back.

"You know something, it really sucks that it's come to this, having to defend people I have no respect for," I spoke up in exasperation as the smoke cleared from the Pope's attack. "You're all the same you know, using your title and powers for your own selfish ends without even giving a thought to the consequences, and what's even worse is that you all don't see anything wrong with what you've done! But the biggest mistake, one you have all made, is that you have tried to hurt and take away from me the people I care most about in this world, and for that, I will never forgive any of you!"

"_Remember your promise to me,_" Fitoria's words echoed in my head. "_Please, try your very best to make peace with the other Heroes._"

And it's because of those words that I knew what I had to do next, whether I liked it or not. "However, there is one key difference between you," I continued in a firm voice as I announced my decision. "The Heroes are needed to defend this world, whilst the Pope isn't. Besides, I made a promise to someone that I would do my very best to make peace with the other Heroes, and as everyone here knows, I always keep my promises. And as such, I will fight alongside the rest of the Cardinal Heroes. Not out of any love for them, but because at the end of the day, it is the right thing to do."

Everyone in the crater with me breathed a sigh of relief at my words, the other Heroes especially. "Fergus…thank you," Ren said shortly, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Make no mistake about it Ren," I replied, shrugging his hand off as I turned around to face everyone. "Whilst I trust you more than the other Heroes, this is no way means I will forgive the three of you for everything you have done, nor will I ever stop hating that bitch for making my life a living hell. But right now, with so much more at stake, I am willing to set aside those grievances to fight the greater evil."

"It's about time the Four Heroes came together to fight," Itsuki said with a smile.

"Just make sure to keep out of my way alright?" Motoyasu spoke up in a jovial tone. However, Ren was not amused by the Spear-Hero's words.

"Just make sure you don't get in my way either," he replied shortly.

"I know this was hard for you to do Fergus," Raphtalia said as she came up and took hold of both of my hands, beaming at me as she did so. "But I am so proud of you for doing the right thing, and I know Fitoria would be too."

"Thank you Raphtalia," I replied, squeezing her hands in response as I smiled back at her. "This was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but like I said I keep my promises. And this is only temporary. Once this fight is over, it'll be just the five of us once more."

"Well then, let's do something about this Pope, so we that we can survive until Mother gets here!" Melty said, a determined expression on her face.

"To watch the Four Heroes fight together will be an amazing sight, and I swear I will do everything in my power to aid you in this battle!" Keel promised, drawing an arrow from his quiver.

Filo, as always, kept it short and sweet. "Let's do this!" She cried as she turned back into her Filolial form.

"All of you, lend me your strength," Motoyasu addressed his party, turning to look at them as he did so, to which they nodded in response.

"We're here for you, to the end," Malty responded as she stepped forward, before turning her head to look in my direction, causing our eyes to meet for a split second. But even in that split second, our glances spoke for us: By no means was this over between the two of us, not by a long shot, but for now, we would fight on the same team until the Pope was defeated.

"Let's go," Ren stated, straight to the point as always.

"It's time for us all to put our differences aside and fight together as one!" Itsuki proclaimed as he slipped back into his 'Hero of Justice' act.

"Let's do this!" I cried as I turned to face our adversary, the Shield of Wrath raised in front of me. "Ren! Itsuki! Motoyasu! We fight as one, the Four Cardinal Heroes united!"

"ALRIGHT!" The three of them yelled in response, readying their weapons for the fight.

"Raphtalia! Filo! Melty! Keel! This is our greatest battle yet, let's give it our all!" I called out to my party.

"YEAH!" Came their united cry as Raphtalia drew her sword, Keel nocked an arrow to his bow, Filo crouched and Melty raised her fists. And as one, everyone in the crater got into a fighting stance as we stared down the Pope, who merely scoffed in response.

"The false Heroes are choosing to fight alongside the Devil of the Shield? A foolish decision indeed!" He spat before proceeding to lift his arms in the air. "For this, you shall all be purged completely until no trace of you remains! And with that, I cast a group defence spell of the highest level, bolstered by the powers of the true believers! CATHEDRAL!"

As he called out his spell, a purple mist rose from his weapon into the air above him, in the centre of which was a dark spherical object that reminded me of a solar eclipse. As we all watched on in disbelief, the mist spread out until it enveloped the area above us completely, changing into various wall patterns as it did so. And as the wall patterns formed, they altered the mist into a solid structure instead which, as it descended upon the edge of the crater, trapped us inside along with the Pope. As I looked around, I saw no gaps in the structure nor any means of escape. And judging by the patterns in this cathedral-like structure, we would be fighting on the Pope's turf, as there was little doubt in my mind that this Cathedral would give him any advantage he sought.

"Welcome! To my Cathedral sanctuary!" The Pope proclaimed, a peal of bellowing laughter on his lips as he seemed to revel in his inevitable victory. "Make your peace Devil of the Shield, false Heroes and all of those who fight at your side, for this will be your final resting place!"

And so the stage was set for the final battle. The four Cardinal Heroes, my party and Motoyasu's party versus the Pope. No matter what happened, only one side would make it out alive!

**And there we have it, Chapter 22 is done! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Not much to say in regards to changes to this chapter, but there is one thing I do want to emphasise in particular, and that is the relationship between Fergus and Ren. Now I will admit I am a sucker for the lone swordsman sort of character, which I blame entirely on Kirito from Sword Art Online, and after episodes 10 and 13 I did find myself warming up to the Sword-Hero just a little as he not only started to show a little remorse for his actions but also started showing some common sense that was lacking in the other two Heroes. Granted, after episode 22 my opinion of him lowered slightly after that whole Heroes' council mess but I was still predisposed to look on him in a better light than the others. That's why I'm making the interactions between Ren and Fergus a little more friendly then they are in the anime.**

**And I'm calling his 'Hundred Swords' spell 'Rain of Swords' instead because in no way was that a hundred swords! **

**And of course the whole tirade against the other Heroes, I wanted to get EVERYTHING in there, especially the parts specific to this story (such as the altercation between Fergus and Itsuki where he punched the Bow-Hero's lights out) so if it's a bit longer than it was in the anime, that's why.**

**Oh and one more thing to add, I have finally made a decision on if Fergus and Raphtalia will get together or not. That's all I'm saying for now.**

**Once more, thank you all so much for every favourite, follow, review and DM that you have given me and this story, I really cannot say that enough, and I hope I will see you all in the next chapter as the final battle commences! Which side will win?**

**So until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you next time!**


	25. Ch 23 - In Victory, Blood Sacrifice

**I'm gonna keep this note nice and short, and just say thank you for your patience and understanding in regards to the last week. The 7 days immediately afterwards were the toughest and it's still not fully sunk in yet, but I am in a much better place now. That being said, I did burst into tears today when I collected his ashes from the vets. From the looks of it, his remains have been treated with dignity and the utmost respect and that's all I could have ever asked for.**

**And once again, thank you for all the reviews, follows and favourites for this story. With that all out of the way, here is the final battle! As per usual, the mandatory disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward. **

Chapter 23 - In Victory, Blood Sacrifice

_"Welcome! To my Cathedral sanctuary!" The Pope proclaimed, a peal of bellowing laughter on his lips as he seemed to revel in his inevitable victory. "Make your peace Devil of the Shield, false Heroes and all of those who fight at your side, for this will be your final resting place!"_

_And so the stage was set for the final battle. The four Cardinal Heroes, my party and Motoyasu's party versus the Pope. No matter what happened, only one side would make it out alive!_

§

"Considering that Cathedrals are the main centres of religion, I have no doubt our current setting will give the Pope another advantage over us," I quickly explained to the others. "So despite our numbers, our backs are against the wall, at least until the Queen arrives. So until then, we need to keep him off-balance with lots of attacks for as long as we can and without holding anything back. Sound good?"

"Sounds good to me," Ren replied as he started charging up his Sword. "Itsuki, follow-up after my attack. THUNDERBOLT SLASH!" With this, he slashed his Sword upward, sending out an electrical arc directly at Pope.

"Thunder Arrow!" Itsuki cried as he let loose an arrow charged with electricity. Their attacks struck the target at roughly the same time, and whilst they hadn't struck him directly, they did succeed in breaking his barrier.

"Raphtalia! Filo! Keel! You're up! Don't give him a chance to put the barrier back up!" I cried.

"RIGHT!" They all called out, and as Raphtalia leapt atop Filo's back, Keel nocked another arrow to his bow. "Light Arrow!" Keel cried, firing off the arrow straight at the Pope, who quickly reacted by changing the Replica weapon back into its Sword form, swiping downward with it as he did so. This allowed him to not only cut Keel's arrow out of the sky but to also fire a funnel of flames directly at Filo.

"High Quick Kick!" Filo called out as she proceeded to leap over the funnel of flames before proceeding to strike out with her talons, breaking through the Pope's hastily generated barrier as she did so. As soon as the barrier shattered, Raphtalia leapt off at Filo's back and dove directly at the Pope, swinging at him with her blade, which forced the Pope to have to physically block her attack with his weapon, forcing him back. However, the instant Raphtalia leapt back over to our area, a yellow glow surrounded the Pope, allowing him to recover quickly despite the multitude of attacks we had thrown his way, which clued me into what was going on outside the Cathedral.

"The followers on the outside must be pumping healing spells into the Cathedral to keep him sustained! We have to keep attacking!" I exclaimed as I ran over and leapt on Filo's back. "Filo! Get me in close, and on our way there pick up that idiot Spear Guy alright?"

"Okay!" Filo called out as she set off towards the Pope at a sprint, and as she passed by Motoyasu she grabbed him by the cloak with her beak and carried him along with us, ignoring his resulting protests.

"Sir Motoyasu!" I heard Malty call out from behind us as she watched her Hero get abducted.

"Aqua Shell! Come on sister, keep your head in the game!" I heard Melty reprimand her sister. If I had to guess, the Pope had cast a spell directly at Malty which Melty had proceeded to block. And as much as I despised Malty, we needed all the help so I was glad for the moment for Melty's swift actions.

"Okay Motoyasu, I want you to listen very carefully!" I yelled as Filo closed in on our enemy. "As soon as you get airborne, and when I say so, I want you to attack my Shield with your Spear!"

"Why?! I thought we were meant to be attacking the Pope?" Motoyasu shouted back in confusion.

"Just do it alright! Filo, now!" With a toss of her head, Filo sent Motoyasu flying high into the air. I then waited for an extra second on two before leaping off of Filo's back myself. "Motoyasu! Now!" I yelled.

"Okay fine!" Motoyasu growled as he swung about in the air to the point where he and I were face-to-face, before letting out a loud yell as he thrust his Spear at me. As he did so I lifted my Shield and met the attack from his Spear, which caused flames to start surrounding my Shield.

"Get down Motoyasu! SELF-CURSE: IGNITION!" Motoyasu needed no telling twice, swiftly getting out of my way as I proceeded to unleash a skill I had recently discovered. Self Curse: Ignition allowed me to counter-attack an opponent with a burst of flames after the Shield of Wrath was struck, which is what allowed me to spew a whole load of flames directly at the Pope, enveloping him completely.

However, instead of crying out in pain from the flames, the Pope merely smirked from within my flames, and as Motoyasu and I landed back in the middle of the crater, the flames faded swiftly, leaving the Pope unharmed and without any sign of damage to his robes, much to my shock and dismay.

"No way…he was able to dispel my flames so quickly?" I remarked in disbelief, words which caused our opponent to chuckle.

"Your Cursed attacks are ineffective inside my Cathedral sanctuary. After all, we are standing on hallowed ground which has been blessed by God himself!" With those words, he pointed his weapon at us and proceeded to fire a strong wind-based attack which pushed me, Motoyasu and Filo backwards until we were once more standing alongside the rest of our companions.

The Pope chose that moment, as we were recovering from his attack, to address his followers once more. "Bishop, can you hear me?" He called out. "I need all of our followers to pray harder so that we may show our enemies the true might of God!"

"But Your Eminence, a third of your followers have already given nearly all of their mana to the cause!" A voice on the outside, presumably the bishop's, replied in a panicked tone. "If they don't stop now, we'll be putting their lives in danger!"

"Is there a problem with that?" The Pope replied in an uncaring tone. "I hope I don't need to remind them all that this is a battle between God and the Devil itself! All those who perish will become martyrs for the cause, which for a member of the Three Heroes' Church is the highest of honours!"

"I-I understand Your Eminence…Followers! The Pope requires more prayers from us! Devote yourselves to the cause, giving all of your body, mind and soul so that we may eradicate the Devil of the Shield!" We heard the bishop call out to everyone on the outside, which drew sounds of disgust from members of my party.

"How can he so causally throw away the lives of his followers, who are trusting him completely, like that?! Raphtalia cried out, her voice trembling with anger.

"And how can they be so blind to how power-mad this guy is?" Keel wondered, his expression unhappy.

"Nothing matters to them any more except their faith, not even their own lives," Melty replied grimly. "As such, they'll follow his orders to the death."

"Melty's right, we've got no hope of swaying any of them," I replied in a voice of resignation. "And as such, we'll have to fight even harder to counteract the increased fervency of their prayers."

"We are all one, in body and soul," The Pope proceeded to proclaim. "With the help of my followers' prayers and the strongest attack this sacred weapon can muster, I shall grant you all the total purification you so richly deserve, the greatest mercy that God could bestow upon the likes of you!" With those words, he raised his Sword high over his head once more.

"It feels really scary in here…" Filo called out nervously

"Everyone, look up at the dome!" Melty cried out suddenly, and as we all looked up we saw sparkles of light crawling up the walls of Cathedral. Judging by its pace, the light would reach the dome very shortly.

"If the followers keep praying as they do, and if that light reaches the top of the dome, I have a bad feeling something really bad is going to happen!" Melty continued, her face etched with worry.

"That will be when he launches his next powerful attack," Itsuki reckoned.

"Yeah, that same Judgement spell from before," I said, nodding in agreement. "And now that we are enclosed within this Cathedral, that attack is going to be a lot more powerful. It could very well wipe us all out in one blow."

"Oi Fergus! Can't your Shield do anything to prevent that attack from happening? It is kinda overpowered after all," Motoyasu asked me.

"_Are we really doing this shit again? Are they ever gonna stop accusing me of cheating?_" I thought to myself in exasperation as I turned to face the other Heroes. Turns out my fears were going to be realised as Itsuki picked up on Motoyasu's train of thought.

"Even though your level and stats are way lower than ours since you are still level capped, you are still able to keep with us," Itsuki continued, looking directly at my cursed Shield as he spoke. "And I reckon that is entirely down to that Shield of yours."

I sighed in exasperation as I realised that I was going to have Ren and Itsuki the same lecture I had given Motoyasu after my team and I had defeated his party. "The Shield has nothing to do with it. In fact, it's because of how you lot have gone about things since we got here," I proceeded to explain. "Whilst you were levelling rapidly and playing hero, I and my party have been grinding our butts off to get stronger, allowing us to acquire and perfect a whole range of skills that you lot neglected in favour of the more powerful and flashier skills. In short, the reason why I'm able to keep up with you is not because of an overpowered Shield, but because I know many more abilities than all of you combined and can use them to their best of their abilities."

Motoyasu and Itsuki looked ready to protest, but Ren spoke up before they could do so. "If what you are saying is the truth, do you have any special skills you can use to get us out of this?" He asked

I shook my head in response. "This Shield specialises in Cursed attacks, which as we just found out are ineffective inside the Cathedral," I explained. "And the only other skill that could help, the Iron Maiden, won't be of any use to us he-" My words were suddenly cut off as I felt an unnatural tremor run through my body, which was followed by my head starting to throb relentlessly in pain, causing me to grimace as I grasped my head within my hands, trying to fight back the pain.

"Master Fergus, what's wrong?" Raphtalia asked worriedly, dashing to my side as she immediately saw something was wrong.

"I'm not sure…" I replied with a grimace as the pounding in my head only increased and the pain levels continued shooting up. "I have a bad feeling about it though…" As I was saying this I suddenly felt a dark presence sir within my soul which then proceeded to start rapidly swelling up inside of me.

"Guys, I think you ought to back up…I think something really bad is about to happen…" I muttered through gritted teeth as I clutched my head tighter and tighter in response to the ever-increasing throbbing sensations taking place there.

"Huh? What are you talking about Fergus?" Motoyasu asked obtusely.

"Master Fergus…it's that Shield again…isn't it?" Raphtalia realised in a fearful voice as she continued to watch me in concern.

I nodded as best I could given the circumstances. "Yeah, I think it is-AGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" My reply was cut off as my entire body contorted in excruciating agony, which combined with the throbbing in my head reaching a fever pitch caused me to let out a huge cry of pain, alarming everyone in the vicinity.

"EVERYONE!….. GET BACK!" I yelled through my anguished cries as the pain shooting throughout my body only continued to increase by the second, my hands now clawing my face in desperation as I tried to bear through it, but it was worthless! I had never felt such agony before, neither in my old world or in this one! And as the pain continued to rip through my body, I suddenly felt unable to move any of my limbs. No, they were still moving, but it wasn't me who was commanding them to move! It's as if someone or something was trying to forcefully rip control of my body away from me, causing me endless amounts of agony in the process!

"_NO! I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN! I CAN FIGHT THIS!" _I cried inside my head, but my determination was for nought as I kept losing control of my limbs one by one. I was now unable to move my legs, my arms or my hands, the only part of me I could control now was my chest and my head, and as such the only thing I could do was continue to scream in pain, my eyes clenched tight as I tried to endure it. However, I could slowly feel myself fading, and I knew I couldn't last much longer.

"Fergus, what's happening?!" Keel cried out, his voice laced with terror. Turns out I could still hear, however, Keel's voice sounded very far away even though I knew he was close by.

"It's that Shield of his! It's trying to take control of him again!" Raphtalia replied, my heart shattering upon hearing the pain and sobs behind her words as I felt her wrap herself desperately around me. "You have to fight it, Fergus! Please don't leave me!"

"Come on Fergus, snap of it!" Even Ren's voice, usually so withdrawn and unemotional, was desperate.

"Please Fergus, stay with us!" I heard Melty cry out.

But despite their pleas, it was too late. My body and mind couldn't fight the pain any more, and I dimly felt, having lost all control of my body, myself raising my head up and letting loose with a loud roar of pain and rage, the same blood-red aura from before surrounding me as everything started to fade from my sight. And just before everything faded to black once again, I heard Fitoria's voice in my mind once more:

"_Whilst you may be able to handle its power for the time being, there will come a time when it's power becomes too much, at which point it will utterly consume you._"

§

Just like the last time I had activated the powers of the Shield of Wrath when I had fought against the Soul Eater, I found myself once more in a dark place, where there was nothing except me and my flaming Shield. But just as I was coming to terms with the situation, a very familiar dark chuckle rang out from all around me.

"_So, we meet again once again, Fergus…_" The voice spoke, once again sounding as though it was coming from all around me. And as it spoke, I realised who exactly it belonged to. Yup, the zombie dragon, the essence of my anger.

"I remember you," I stated in response, and as I finished speaking a wall of purple flames appeared in front of me, out of which emerged the dragon's head.

"_You made the right choice during our previous encounter by calling upon the power I offered you,_" The dragon proudly stated.

"As much as I despised having to do so, it was the only choice I could make," I replied with a grimace. "Thanks to that power, I was able to hold back the Soul Eater and use the Iron Maiden, and in so doing survived the Third Wave."

"_And now fate is repeating itself,_" the dragon responded with an amused chuckle. "_Once more you are faced with an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, and nothing currently at your disposal nor the strength of the other Heroes will able to help you._"

Now that he mentioned it, the resemblance between this fight and my duel with the Soul Eater was uncanny. "You do have a point," I conceded. "But I'm still going to give it all I've got anyway, and unlike last time, we only have to hold out until help arrives."

"_But what if there was another way to end this?_" The dragon then asked.

"How do you mean? Because to me, the only two options we have are to hold out until the help arrives, or perish whilst giving it our all." I responded.

"_You alone have the power to defeat your adversary once and for all,_" he explained. "_But to do so, you have to give in completely to your feelings of anger, rage and frustration. Slip the shackles and let them loose, and you will be unstoppable!_"

So in other words, allow him to use my body as a conduit for his rage, like he had tried to do last time when he had attempted to use me to get his revenge on Ren for murdering him? Hell no, I was not having that! "Put it however you like, but I know what you are really after. You just want to use my body to take vengeance upon Ren and then burn everything in sight!" I replied with a snarl. "Well I'm not letting you take control of my body like that again, so no, I will not do as you suggest!"

My outburst only seemed to amuse the dragon, who let out an amused chuckle before responding: "_Whilst my anger and rage at the Sword-Hero is powerful, it is nothing compared to your own. Indeed, all of the rage you would be unleashing is a result of everything that has built up inside you since you first arrived in this world_."

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a frown, although I had a suspicion I knew what he was getting at. And my suspicions turned out to be correct.

"_Even though you have been able to suppress your anger and control your feelings most of the time, even you cannot deny the rising anger and frustration that has been building up inside of you,_" he then proceeded to explain. "_Indeed, there have been small incidents where you have been unable to hold back your frustrations and lashed out physically at the object of your anger._"

As he spoke, two small screens appeared in front of me, the one on the left was showing the time I had punched Itsuki in the face, whilst the one on the right was showing me lashing out at Motoyasu when I had confronted him in the capital. As these played, several more screens appeared around me, and as the dragon spoke, they started playing back several events from the course of my time here.

"_Remember your feelings of anger as you were framed for a crime you did not commit, and the resulting annoyance you felt when, even after providing substantial evidence, no-one believed you._" As he spoke, scenes from the trial in the throne room appeared on the screens, each coming from a different angle and showing different parts of it, as well as the looks of disgust on everyone's faces as I faced them down.

"_Remember your anger at being hated just for being the Shield-Hero, despite the fact you did nothing wrong._" These words were accompanied by images of the King, his ministers, the guards and the general public all looking at me with varying expressions of resentment and disgust, or looking away from me whenever I passed them by.

"_Remember your anger at being unfairly persecuted, even though you were doing good deeds. You rescued a slave, you saved a village, and yet they ignored all of this as they tried to paint you as a monster._" The scenes changed to a lot of different events where, despite my good deeds, people had refused to believe me: The trial, the celebration at the palace, my confrontations with the other Heroes, my audience with Aultcray, the battle at the canyon and my final battle with Motoyasu. What stuck out, in particular, were the accusations of brainwashing and slavery, despite my repeated explanations I was doing nothing of the sort.

"_Remember your frustrations at the actions of the other Heroes, who through their stupidity and ignorance have put people in danger. And how you had to put your own life on the line to clean up after them._" Only one scene played out this time, my tirade at the other Heroes just a few minutes earlier when I had laid into them, calling them out for their mistakes and pointing out how their attitudes had affected the world.

"_All of these feelings have been building up inside of you, no matter how much you want to deny it,_" the dragon concluded as the screens faded away, leaving just the two of us once more. "_Why continue to waste so much effort in holding back these feelings? All you have to do is let go. Unleash the true power of your rage, and you can bring an end to everything that has gone wrong, and all the suffering you have been through would end!_"

I couldn't deny what he had said, because it was all true. Only an emotionless person wouldn't have felt the anger and frustration I had every time something unjust had happened to me, and with everything I had been forced to endure, it was an absolute miracle I hadn't lost control on many more occasions! And yes, it would be so easy to just let my control slip, to give vent to everything I was holding in. It would bring an end to all of my hardship and pain.

Except that I knew, in my heart, that the right things to do were never the easiest, and that in reality, I wasn't an angry person. I had always believed in being one's true self, and to not let anyone, or anything, change that. I knew that giving in to my anger would twist me into somebody I wasn't, and I was never going to let that happen.

"You are right, I have been holding back a lot of rage, and it has been a real struggle to do so with everything that has gone on," I admitted with a sigh, before hardening my voice and expression as I continued. "However, ever since I came into this world, and during all of my time here, there is one undeniable fact that I could never forget: I was chosen, by whatever hand of fate, to be the Shield-Hero, one of the four Cardinal Heroes, and whilst the other Heroes have been making a mockery of their roles, I've had to step up to be the Hero people needed, even if they didn't want me to be."

I took a deep breath before continuing. "And as a Hero, it is my role to defend the innocents of this world, as well as those who have been unfairly persecuted just for being who they are. And more so than any other species on this world, I fight to claim justice for the demi-human population, who had their homes and livelihoods ripped away from them unfairly. Through my friendship with Raphtalia and Keel and the memory of their friend Rifana, I have sworn to see their home restored. However, I cannot do all of that, and still be a Hero, by becoming a vessel of hatred and letting everything that has happened to me affect my personality and cloud my judgement. I will claim the justice I, and the demi-humans, so rightfully deserve by being true to the person I am, and the Hero the world needs me to be."

To his credit, the dragon persisted in the face of my statements: "_And yet, you cannot deny how good it felt to unleash those feelings,_" he responded, showing me of examples of when I had done such: The first time I had almost lost control after Malty's interference in the duel between myself and Motoyasu, the time I fully lost control against the very same dragon I was now speaking to, and the fight against the Soul Eater where I had drawn upon my anger to power the Shield of Wrath and subsequently cast the Iron Maiden. "_They made you feel fulfilled, they gave you a clear objective. If you fully gave in to those feelings and unleashed every single bit of anger you have bottled up inside of you, your power would make all of your enemies submit! Unleash it, and burn everything in your way!_"

Once again, I couldn't deny the truth in his words. "You're right, at the time it did feel good to let my anger and frustrations loose," I conceded before narrowing my eyes at him once more. "However, that is not the path I wish to take. I do not want to rely on negative feelings to overcome everything life throws at me. And yes, whilst those feelings would grant me more power, it would only be the power to burn and destroy, which is the opposite of what I embody. I am a Shield, THE Shield-Hero, and so all I wish to do is defend and protect the things and people I care about. That is why I am rejecting your offer, and why I instead will choose to fight by believing in my own strength, the strength of my friends and the strength of those who fight alongside me."

These words, on top of everything else I had said, finally caused the dragon to lose some of his cool as he proceeded to get right in my face. "_If you do not give in to your anger and unleash its power, you will die! You, your friends and the other Heroes will all die at the hands of the Pope and everything you have fought for will be for nothing!"_ He yelled in desperation.

I, however, was unperturbed by his words. "If that is what fate wills, then so be it," I replied firmly. "I will die, fighting with everything I have to protect those I love, as my own self and without giving in to my anger." This only enraged the dragon further.

"_YOU FOOL! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT AS LONG AS MY CORE IS A PART OF YOU, I AM ALSO, AND THAT IF YOU DIE, I WILL DIE AS WELL?!_" He roared. "_AND AS LONG AS I AM ALIVE, I WILL NOT ALLOW MYSELF TO DIE FOR THE SAKE OF YOU HOLDING ON TO YOUR FOOLISH IDEALS!_"

With those words, and without any warning, the dragon's head flew forward and passed straight into my body, and as soon as he did so I suddenly felt myself losing control of it! I fought back with everything I had, trying to will him out of my head, but his intrusion had been so sudden and swift. And as a result, I could feel myself gradually losing the battle for control of my soul.

"_NO! I WILL NOT GIVE INTO YOU!_" I yelled into my head, desperately trying to push back. But all of a sudden, my head burst into pain once more as my mind was assaulted by images from my time in this new world, in particular those that had caused me anger and frustration. And it was these images that imprinted themselves painfully on my brain, more vivid then I could ever remember them being, and with each flash, I felt my grip on my mind faltering more and more, as the dragon pushed itself more and more into my head.

"_IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH OR WILLPOWER TO UNLEASH YOUR TRUE POWER, THEN I WILL DO IT IN YOUR PLACE!_" The dragon roared in my head, causing me further agony. "_ONCE I HAVE COMMAND OF YOUR FLESH, I WILL USE THE POWER OF YOUR ANGER TO BURN EVERYTHING IN MY WAY, AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME! NOW BEGONE, WEAKLING!"_

And with those words, I suddenly felt a great tug as all of a sudden my soul was yanked out of my body. As I landed on the floor in the dark space we occupied, I noticed that I still had my form, but instead of it being solid, it was ethereal, like a ghost or a spirit. As I looked back, I saw my body standing there, my own face looking at me with a triumphant grin. But before I could do or say anything more, it vanished from sight, leaving me all alone in my ethereal form.

All of a sudden, another screen, much like the ones that had appeared before, popped up in front of my eyes, and as I watched I could clearly make out my physical form standing in the crater, motionless, whilst everyone around it was watching in concern. As my physical body raised its head from where it had been previously bowed, I saw with horror that my eyes were glowing completely red, and whereas before the black scales had only covered a part of my armour, it was now all over my person, living flames coating every inch of it. "_That bastard's taken full control of my body! Now I do really look like a devil!_" I thought to myself with horror.

And ass I continued watching, helpless and unable to do a thing about it, I saw my body start to move forward, ignoring the cries and pleas of my companions and the other Heroes to stop. I saw Ren reach out a hand to try and grab my shoulder, only for it to be shrugged off. And I could only look on with despair as my companions kept up with me, pleading for me to stop, their expressions desperate and tears falling from their eyes. Raphtalia, in particular, seemed almost beside herself as she pleaded me to come back to her over and over again. They then tried to physically hold me back, but my body pressed on, dragging them with me as the flames from my armour started to burn their skin and clothes.

"NO! STOP! PLEASE DON'T HURT THEM!" I cried in despair, unable to bear with what I was seeing. But my words died in the space around me, and silence was the only response as I got as my physical form only continued to hurt my loved ones. Eventually, it all became too much for me to bear and I collapsed to my knees before eventually falling on my hands as well.

"I'm SO PATHETIC!" I yelled, sobbing away to myself. "I was too weak to hold back my anger, and now it has taken control of my body! I'm a failure! I have let down everyone who has ever believed in me, and worst of all I have let down my party-members, the people I care about most in this world! I swore to protect them, but instead, they are suffering because of my weakness!"

I then curled myself into a foetal position, hugging tightly to myself in the hopes that it would cause all of this to end, for my suffering to be over so that I could return to my friends. But it never came. The only thing to come out of it was my continued sobs as I apologised over and over to my friends for being such a weak and horrible person as the screen winked out, leaving me alone in the darkness of my despair.

§

But then, all of a sudden, like a small light illuminating the darkness, I heard Raphtalia's voice call out to me from the gloom. "_Don't blame yourself, Master Fergus…_"

"_Raphtalia…_" At her words I slowly came out of my foetal position, looking all over for the source of her voice but seeing nothing.

But just as I was about to lower myself back down, her voice rang out again in the same soft and angelic tone as it had before: "_We are your friends, your party members, and as long as that remains the case, we will overcome any battle we fight, no matter if it is a physical enemy or a battle for your soul._"

I gasped, remembering that I had said similar words to everyone in my party at one time or another before another despairing thought came to me: "_Why should they fight with me when all I do is hurt them?_" However, these thoughts caused more small screens to appear overhead, and as I looked up, instead of the bad memories, these were playing back various points from all the time I had spent with Raphtalia.

"_At first I was terrified of you, that you were going to treat me like an object as everyone else had done,_" Raphtalia's voice spoke into my head, and as she did so I could almost physically feel her caressing my face with her soft, soothing hands. "_Instead, you have treated me with more kindness than anyone has done for me before. You fed me, clothed me, cured my illnesses, cared for me, taught me how to stand up for myself, protected me, taught me right from wrong and gave me the courage to open up about my past and confront it. For those reasons, and because of the amazing person you are, I vowed to always be at your side._"

The screens then stopped playing Raphtalia's memories and started playing excerpts from Filo's time with me. "_You hatched me and have been with me from the very first day of my life,_" Filo spoke in her soft childlike voice. "_You gave me the wagon I love to pull so much, and clothes and all sort of wonderful things. Everything I have in my life and everything I love all come from you._"

The memories on the screen then switched to Melty's as she took her turn to speak to me. "_You had no reason to trust me due to my family, but you never judged me by their actions. You treated me as another human being instead of royalty and protected me when my life was in danger. You vowed to keep me safe, and you have kept that promise ever since, and thus you have become a true friend to me._"

Lastly, Keel's memories started showing. "_I had fallen into despair and nearly lost all hope of living. But you came to me in my dark place, and gave me back my life and reasons for living._" He said. "_You took me under your protection, despite all of the risks, and allowed me to join your party. Because of everything you have done for me, I swore to do everything in my power to aid you so that one day we may rebuild my home._"

All of a sudden, the area around me was awash with light as an innumerable amount of screens appeared all around me, depicting all of my companions' memories from the time they had spent with me. Speaking of my companions, they appeared all around me, their forms as transparent and ethereal as my own. But unlike me and my despair, they were all smiling, looking the happiest I had ever seen them before.

"_They're right,_" I realised as I got to my feet and watched all four of them float towards me."_At one time or another I had sworn to protect each and every one of them, and throughout our adventures together, no matter the hardships we faced, we had all come together as friends. The bond between us all is unbreakable because we all care deeply for one another…and I was an idiot to ever think they would give up on me…"_

Melty's form smiled at me, as though she could hear what I was thinking. "_You wear your heart on your sleeve,_" she spoke up. "_And through your words and actions, we all know you care deeply for us. And in return, we all care for you, and one of us especially cares for you very much._"

"_I love you a whole bunch Master!_" Filo cried joyfully, and my heart melted at her childish glee. "_And I will eat up all of your bad feelings so you will never have to feel them ever again!_"

"_I will help share in your pain,_" Keel said, a determined yet caring smile on his face. "_Whenever you need me, whenever you need all of us, please come to us and share your sadness with us, and we will help you._"

And Raphtalia, sweet, beautiful, brave and amazing Raphtalia, came right up to me, her angelic face beaming at me, her eyes full of love and concern. "_I will always be the light to cut through the darkness of your sorrows. That is my role as your Sword after all,_" she said, her voice sounding so wonderful and soothing in my mind. "_Nothing has given me greater joy than being with you and fighting alongside you. Because no matter where we go, or what we do, my heart belongs to you, now and always._" With those words, the ethereal forms of my friends all closed around me and hugged me tight, with Raphtalia then proceeding to lean her head in and kiss my ethereal lips with her own.

And despite the fact our forms were ethereal, I still felt that kiss, which contained all the love and care Raphtalia felt for me, and I for her.

"You are all so amazing, the best friends I could have ever asked for_,_" I said aloud, my voice laden with tears of joy and sorrow. "I am so touched by your faith in me, despite all the pain I know I must be causing you right now. I promise I will never doubt our bonds again!"

"_You hear me, you bastard?!_" I internally yelled at the dragon, regardless if he heard it or not. "_I will not allow you to hurt them any more! From now on, I am the master of my own fate, and my fate is to fight alongside my friends until the very end! AND I WILL NEVER ALLOW YOU, OR MY ANGER, TO RULE MY SOUL EVER AGAIN!_"

It was if everything at once reacted to my declaration, as from above a brilliant white light shone down on me as I instantly felt renewed, no longer in despair or suffering. I knew, that as long as I had my friends at my side, I could and would overcome anything in my way! And it was those same friends who now reached out to me, and who pulled my ethereal form up towards the white light in the sky. And as I kept moving on up, my body became more and more solid, my mind now fully clear and set on what I had to do. And as I reached the source of the light, I heard an incensed roar from the dragon as I flew back into my physical body. He tried to fight me off, but I had the support of my friends, and with them at my side, his resistance melted away. And with a loud, determined roar which was echoed by the spirits of my friends, with a great wrench I seized back control of my body!

§

The instant I regained control, I was forcefully jerked back into the real world, and as I looked around I saw the familiar setting of the crater, the Cathedral and the Pope charging his weapon. Oh yeah, amid everything that was going on I suddenly remembered how dire of a situation we were in, but that could wait for now!

I quickly gave all of my limbs an experimental wiggle, just to check I was fully in control. I started with my left arm, down to my left leg, over to my right leg and then up to my right arm where my Shield was. But as I tried moving that arm, it felt heavier than usual, despite the fact I was already accustomed to the weight of all my Shields…

"Master…Fergus…" And the reason why my right arm felt so heavy instantly became clear, and as I looked at where my arm was currently reaching outwards, I noticed, with a gasp of horror and despair, Raphtalia latched around my arm, her eyes and face set in an expression of grim determination, despite the burn marks covering her skin and the tears in her armour. If Raphtalia was in this state, then…I looked around and saw Filo and Melty wrapped around my middle, and as I turned my head I saw Keel desperately wrapped around my back. All of them were in similar states to Raphtalia, burn marks covering their skin and parts of their attire burned away by my flames. Seeing the state they were all in caused tears to come to my eyes once more as I remembered I had been the one responsible for this. And as I sobbed, I saw Raphtalia, Filo and Melty's gaze turn up towards my eyes, their expressions changing from determination to delight as they noticed my eyes were back to normal.

"You're back…thank goodness you're back…I was so scared I had lost you…" Raphtalia choked out, her eyes swimming with fresh tears as she held on tighter to my arm as the black dragon scales covering it slowly faded away.

"Are you okay Master?" Filo asked, her joyful, childish smile back in place.

"That was way too close…" Melty remarked with a relieved expression on her face.

"We're all so glad you're back Sir Fergus…" I heard Keel say from behind me, no doubt he had quickly sussed out what had happened.

Hearing their voices, and the words they spoke, caused the tears to flow even faster, and as Keel detached himself off my back, I found I couldn't hold back my relief any more. With another sob, and as best as I could given there were four of them, I wrapped my arms and held them all close to me, taking comfort that they were physically here with me, my best friends who I cared for so much. Both Raphtalia and Filo melted into my embrace instantly, whereas Melty and Keel let out soft sounds of surprise before they too returned my embrace.

"I'm so sorry you guys, I'm so so sorry…" I sobbed, my voice muffled slightly by the tight hug we were all in. "I let my anger get the best of me, and as a result, all of you got hurt because of my weakness. And I'm so sorry I ever doubted our bonds. Can you ever forgive me, despite everything I have done?

"There is nothing to forgive," Raphtalia replied instantly, and as we unwrapped ourselves from each other I saw that she was looking back at me with a dazzling smile, her eyes still moist with unshod tears. "You were not yourself, and we know that you would never hurt us. And in the end, you chose to trust and believe in us, the ones who have always had your back, no matter what. You made the right choice and came back to us…and I'm so glad you did…if I had lost you…"

I lifted my hand and placed it on Raphtalia's cheek, halting whatever she had been saying as we looked directly into each other's eyes. Despite the fact we were both blushing, the look we shared conveyed all we wanted to say at that moment: Once we had gotten out of this predicament, once this was all over, she and I were going to have a long chat and sort out our feelings for one another.

"Remember, I will always eat up your bad feelings over and over again until they go away!" Filo piped up, causing me to turn my smile to her as I proceeded to ruffle her hair, which only made her even happier.

"You told me yourself Fergus, we're a team, the five of us," Keel spoke up, smiling at me and giving me a thumbs up. "Should you ever feel in despair or in pain, you can share it with us. We will help you, now and always."

I smiled and nodded appreciatively at Keel before Melty got us right back on track. "We're glad you are feeling better Fergus, but we are in the midst of a battle here. We need you to come up with a plan to help us all survive." She reminded me.

"I'm better thanks to each and every one of you," I replied, now addressing them all. "So thank you. And as for that plan, I will do my best."

"Hey…Fergus…are you doing okay? You seemed out of it for a time…" I heard Ren ask cautiously, and as I turned around to face them I saw them all looking back at me with varying expressions of concern, even Motoyasu.

"Yeah, that was way different from when you last used that Shield…you looked almost…demonic…" Itsuki said cautiously.

"_That's a good way of putting it,_" I thought to myself. "_To them, I must have looked like a real Devil…_" I shook my head, forcing those thoughts aside as I began to address them. "You were right Itsuki," I admitted. "This Shield IS capable of overwhelming power that can change the course of a fight, but what you just witnessed there were the consequences of relying on its power. This Shield is fuelled by negative emotions such as anger and frustration, and giving in to those negative emotions results in the consumption of one's soul."

I then proceeded to stride forward until I was directly in front of the other Heroes, after which I knelt down, head bowed, in front of them, an act which caused all of them, as well as everyone present, to gasp in astonishment.

"I'm sorry that you had to witness my moment of weakness, and as such, I beg for your forgiveness," I pleaded, keeping my head bowed. "I was wrong to allow my frustrations with you to cloud my judgement, and I was wrong to think that I could win this fight on my own. Please, lend me your strength, so that together we can win this fight and make it out of here alive!"

Silence prevailed for a few seconds as the other Heroes struggled to process what they had just seen and heard from me. As for myself, I kept my head bowed in conciliation as I awaited their response.

In the end, it was Itsuki who broke the silence. "I must say…please is a word I never expected to hear from your mouth, Fergus," he said in a tone of disbelief.

"If we all fight together…do you honestly believe we can win?" Ren asked hesitantly, and as I looked up I could see the Sword-Hero's expression marred with doubt.

"Truthfully, I have no idea," I responded sincerely as I met Ren's gaze with my own determined one. "But I do know for certain is that if we are to have any chance of surviving, we have to fight together. I realise that now."

Ren considered this for a moment, before eventually nodding his head. "Alright then."

"I knew we'd all have to fight together one day, and right now it's our best shot of beating this guy," Itsuki said as I got to my feet, and as I looked at him I saw him smile sincerely at me for the first time since our first day in this world. "You can count on me."

I nodded in gratitude at the Bow-Hero before turning to look at Motoyasu, whose expression was still reluctant. "Motoyasu…" I spoke up with sincerity. "I'm not asking you to like me or anything…all I'm asking is that you fight alongside us so that we can all make it out of this alive…"

Motoyasu pursed his lips as he internally considered what he should do, looking at both Ren and Itsuki who nodded in response. Their reactions seemed to be enough to convince him. "Oh alright, I'm in," he said with a sigh before turning to look at me. "You seem pretty good at planning things, Fergus. You got something to get us out of this?"

I nodded at him before turning back to look at the Pope, who was completely absorbed in his ritual to push the light on the walls of the Cathedral up towards the dome. As I did so, I realised the essential tasks we would have to do to break through his barriers and harm him, and with that, a few ideas came to mind. "Yeah, I've got a few ideas," I responded as I turned round to look at them all. "But in order to pull this off, we're all going to have work together, and work fast. Here's what I suggest…"

§

"...and with luck that will be enough," I finished, looking around at everyone who had huddled in to hear my plan. "Any objections?"

To my surprise, everyone shook their heads, even Malty who I was certain wouldn't co-operate. Looks like she valued her own life more than her hatred of me and was willing to do whatever it took to live, even if it meant fighting alongside the Devil of the Shield.

"Well then, if that's decided, let's get ready to give it our all!" Motoyasu spoke up in a tone of fierce determination, pumping his fist. "Let's prove that the bonds of friendship and teamwork are strong enough to prevail!"

"RIGHT!" Everyone responded, just as a bell suddenly sounded from all around us. And as we turned around and looked up to the dome of the Cathedral, we saw that the light magic that had been climbing up its walls had finally reached the top, and the resulting glow of light was now flowing directly into the Pope's raised weapon.

"I'm so sorry for interrupting whatever you were in the middle of doing," he called out, though I highly doubted he was being sincere in any way. "But the ritual is now complete, and my weapon is ready to purify the lot of you! So say goodbye, Devil of the Shield!" With these words, he pointed his Sword directly at me, and from its tip fired another beam of light that headed straight for me.

But just like the other times, I raised my Shield up to meet the attack, and once more proceeded to hold it back, even though it took great effort for me to do so. "_Heh, so much for purifying me you old bastard,_" I sniggered to myself as I proceeded to glare at him over the top of my Shield.

"How?! How can you still be standing?!" The Pope shouted, his usual calm demeanour giving way to anger and frustration. "No man should be able to take the full force of the Cathedral and live!"

"You know, I get it now, how great power comes at a great cost!" I shouted back. "But whereas mine came from negative emotions, which I fully regret, yours has come at the expense of the lives of your followers! For what you have done, as well as for the complete and utter disregard you have shown for life, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

The Pope could only gasp in astonishment at my words, whilst at the same time, my Shield started changing form. This was our chance to strike! "ALRIGHT GUYS! LET'S DO THIS!" I yelled out.

"YEAH!" Everyone responded, and with fierce cries of determination on our lips and in our hearts, we proceeded to put my plan into action. Myself, Motoyasu and Malty retreated to the rear of the crater, whilst Ren, Raphtalia and Filo started to charge forward as everyone else proceeded with their attack patterns.

"THUNDER SHOT!" Itsuki yelled, and from his bow, he fired an arrow wrapped in electricity which proceeded to wipe out half of the Pope's hastily formed barrier.

"LIGHT ARROW!" Keel called out immediately afterwards, his arrow proceeding to shatter the rest of the barrier.

"Alright Keel, are you ready?" Itsuki called out as he nocked another arrow to his Bow.

"I'm ready Sir Itsuki!" Keel shouted back as he lifted his hands out in front of him, light magic glowing from his palms.

"COMBO SPELL: BLINDING RAIN OF DESTRUCTION!" They proceeded to call out as Itsuki fired off his Ring of Destruction spell in tandem with Keel casting Blinding Light. The spell caused Itsuki's volley of arrows to start glowing with Light Magic as they proceeded to hit the ground in front of the Pope, which resulted in a blinding glow of light which caused the Pope to shrink away instinctively.

"_Itsuki, Keel, you two will be up first. Break his barrier by whatever means necessary, and then use a combination of Itsuki's Rain of Destruction as well as Keel's light magic to blind him. Once that is done, Itsuki, it will be up to you to oversee the battle and call out the next pattern of attacks._"

"Magic-casters, you're up! Don't give him a chance to recover!" Itsuki yelled.

"Follow my lead you two! Zweit Aqua Shot!" Melty called out as she fired off a water bolt.

"Zweit Air Shot!" The other magic-casters cried, firing off their own spells. Even though the spells reflected off another barrier, they succeeded in drawing his attention.

"Okay, everyone else attack!" Itsuki called out.

"High Quick Kick!" Filo called out as she leapt up towards the Pope in her Filolial form, rapidly darting from side to side before striking at the Pope with her talon, an attack which he had to physically move away from. And whilst he was concentrating on dodging Filo's attack, Raphtalia charged in from underneath Filo and struck out at the Pope with her sword. This forced the Pope to switch his weapon's form once again, this time into the Spear as he blocked Raphtalia's attack.

"Did you really think I would fall for that trick again?" The Pope said, grimacing as he tried to force Raphtalia's weapon back.

To his astonishment, Raphtalia only smirked in response. "I'm just the decoy!"

"Huh? What do you-?" His words were cut off as he turned his head to notice Ren uncloaking from directly behind him. However, since his weapon was currently occupied with Raphtalia's, there was nothing he could do to counter Ren's strike.

"METEOR SLASH!" He cried, slashing his blade directly across the Pope's back, causing the Pope to cry out in pain whilst at the same time creating a smokescreen all around them.

"_The rest of you will then assault the Pope with magical and physical attacks. Your goal will be to keep his attention. Ren, you attack him with Meteor Slash right at the end, that will create a smokescreen to block his view from what comes next._"

Whilst these attacks had been going on, thereby drawing the Pope's attention, myself, Motoyasu and Malty had been preparing for our own strike. Whilst Malty was powering Motoyasu up with Zweit Power, I had switched Shields from the Shield of Wrath to my Axe-Shield. And once he had received his power boost, Motoyasu had proceeded to cast Turbulent Thrust followed by Meteor Thrust directly at my Shield, causing its energy level to rapidly reach 100 percent. Just as it did so, I heard the Pope's cry of pain and looked up to see him stagger from Ren's attack. That was our signal to go on the offensive.

"You ready for this Motoyasu?" I asked, raising my Shield up in front of me as I prepared to charge forward.

"Still can't believe I'm having to take orders from you Fergus…what a bother…" Motoyasu grimaced as he pointed his Spear directly at the Pope.

"And I'm not a huge fan of fighting alongside you and that bitch, so we're all making sacrifices right now," I replied sharply. "So why don't you take out your frustration on our opponent? After all, he is the one forcing us to team up, right?"

"Fine then! AIR STRIKE JAVELIN!" Motoyasu yelled, a red glow surrounding his Spear as he proceeded to launch it directly at the Pope, who quickly put up a row of barriers to intercept the attack. However, thanks to Motoyasu's power boost, his Spear ripped through the barriers like they were nothing and impaled the Pope directly through the chest!

"It worked! Let's go, Fergus!" Motoyasu cried out triumphantly as he started to charge forward.

"Right with you Motoyasu! COME FORTH, HEARTSEEKER!" I yelled out in response as I sprinted after him, my Shield changing into the all-too-familiar axe as it did so. As we closed in and leapt up towards where the Pope was, Motoyasu called back his Spear to his hand as I proceeded to swing my weapon at the Pope. As expected, he quickly moved his weapon to block my attack, but just as he attempted to push my weapon back, Motoyasu jabbed his Spear towards him from my right side, and as I backed off, the Pope used his weapon again to counter Motoyasu's strike. But just as he did so, Ren popped up from my left-hand side, swinging his Sword which forced the Pope to move to counter his attack. And once more, just as their weapons clashed, Raphtalia swept in from directly opposite me, forcing the Pope to turn round to block her strike.

This pattern repeated itself for the next 90 seconds as, with the rest of our team-mates cheering us on, myself, Raphtalia, Motoyasu and Ren took it in turns to strike at the Pope with our weapons, giving him no time to rest as we rapidly switched in and out, striking once and then retreating so that the next person could attack. Our efforts took their toll on their Pope, as a few times one of our weapons was able to break through his guard and strike him directly, forcing him to rely on the healing magic of his followers to close the wounds from our strikes. However, this would no doubt be exhausting them even more rapidly than before, which in turn would lead to reducing the number of them powering the Cathedral and maintaining the continuous stream of healing spells flowing into their leader. Our plan was working a treat!

Well, it did, until the time limit on my weapon expired. I was in the process of striking at the Pope with my weapon when I noticed with horror that it was switching back to its Shield form! CRAP! Luckily, I had planned for this outcome.

"I'm out! Motoyasu! Ren! Pick up my slack until Filo gets there!" I yelled as I backed away from the melee.

"I'm on it! Chaos Spear!" Motoyasu yelled as he thrust his Spear rapidly back and forth, firing off multiple dark pulses which converged on the Pope.

However, the Pope had taken advantage of my retreat to prepare for Motoyasu's attack. "State of Emptiness!" He called out, holding his Spear horizontally in front of him. The Spear glowed as Motoyasu's attacks struck, catching the dark pulses on the weapon's hilt. As Motoyasu and I watched in astonishment, the Pope swung the Spear forward, firing Motoyasu's own attack back at him and sending him flying back.

"Motoyasu!" Itsuki cried out as Motoyasu landed in a heap right next to him.

"Raphtalia! Ren! Get back!" I yelled, seeing my plan fall apart rapidly in the face of this new technique. And whilst Raphtalia heard my call and rapidly retreated back to our side of the crater, it was already too late for Ren who had gone on the offensive. Grinning, the Pope easily blocked a few rapid sword slashes before firing off a rapid beam of light that sent Ren flying back too!

"Ren!" I yelled, running to where he was going to land and catching him before he hit the ground. Ren gave me a grateful nod as I set him back on his feet, holding onto him slightly as he struggled to maintain his balance.

"What the hell was that attack?" Itsuki wondered aloud as him and Malty were helping Motoyasu get to his feet.

"State of Emptiness is one of my Spear's most advanced skills," Motoyasu responded, giving a grateful nod to Itsuki and Malty as they helped him get upright. "It allows the user to block an opponent's attack and then counter-attack with the same ability."

"_Shit! In all my planning I completely forgot he could use all of our techniques!_" I internally berated myself as, with all of us watching on, the Pope changed his weapon again, this time into the Bow.

"Your sins demand more punishment!" He yelled, not even trying to disguise his anger at our stubbornness. "You defy God, so cleansing you won't be enough!" With those words he fired a projectile up at the dome of the Cathedral, and as it impacted it caused a volley of glowing arrows to rain down upon us.

"Everyone take cover!" I yelled as I wrapped myself around Raphtalia to protect her from the arrows. Motoyasu did the same with Malty whereas Keel and Melty took cover underneath Filo's wings, which she raised to protect them and herself from the projectiles. As for the others, all they could do was brace themselves as best they could as the arrows started falling amongst us.

But something was off…whilst I saw that one or two of the arrows were hitting me, they weren't causing me any pain, and as I looked around I could see that was the case for everyone else. The arrows weren't sticking into everyone's attire nor were there any cries of pain, which could only mean…

"He's using a combination of arrows, illusions and light magic! The arrows are only illusions!" Keel shouted, no doubt realising this because he was familiar with all three of them. My eyes and those of everyone else widened at this revelation as we all turned to look back at the Pope, who was now charging another attack with his Bow. Shit! That last attack was a distraction!

"This farce has gone on long enough!" The Pope proclaimed as he drew back the Bow fully, preparing to fire. "You will all be annihilated and not even a speck of dust will remain! Prepare for utter obliteration!"

I grimaced at his words as I raised my Shield, now back in it's Shield of Wrath state, to block the attack, realising that he may very well be right, whilst all around me I could hear gasps and the sounds of grinding teeth as everyone else realised this may very well be it.

However, fate had other plans for us.

"ALL DRITTE FALL: ICICLE PRISON!" A commanding female voice suddenly called out, and at these words a sheet of icy ground instantly materialised at the Pope's feet before rising upwards to trap him within a block of ice, thereby stopping him from launching whatever attack he had planned.

"This is impossible! How could her magic possibly reach inside the Cathedral?! It's meant to protect me from any spell from the outside!" He yelled.

"Who the hell was that?" Ren asked out loud.

"That was my Mother! She's here!" Melty called out delightedly.

"_ALRIGHT, we did it!_" I cheered internally as my companions whooped in delight, before narrowing my eyes back at the Pope as another spell icon popped up in my Status Menu. As I read the flavour text for it, I felt my stomach clench in horror at what its effects were, but if this attack was what it said it was…this could be our only shot at taking down this bastard once and for all. "_Very well then…_" I thought to myself with clenched teeth. "_Let's do it, one last attack, one last sacrifice with this damn Shield…_"

The Queen's voice on the outside seemed to mirror my inner thoughts: "Now Heroes! END THIS!"

"GET BACK EVERYONE! I'M ENDING THIS, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!" I roared to the others, who needed no more urging as they quickly took a few steps back.

I took a deep breath before channelling my anger, my rage and frustrations into this one final attack. In truth, it was much less of a struggle this time around as I knew with clarity what I was doing was right. Everything that had happened to me, all the lies that had been spread about me, all the suffering I had gone through…this bastard was the direct cause of it all! And he was going to feel the full force of my rage and my pain as I poured everything I had into this spell!

"Foolish sinner, I sentence you to cast your screams unto the heavens!" I roared, my voice once more turning demonic as purple flames shot up all around me. "Within the dragon's jaws born from my flesh, become an offering to the gods as you howl in pain! Legendary Shield Skill: BLOOD SACRIFICE!" As I finished the incantation, a wave of purple light flowed over my body, and then…

Agony, such as I had never felt before, shot through every pain receptor in my body, as large quantities of blood suddenly burst forth from every vein, every artery, every part of my body that could hold it. Nothing I had experienced before, not even my earlier struggle for control of my body, held a candle to the pain I was going through right now as my blood pooled into a giant puddle all around me. However, despite all of this, despite the sheer amount of strain and suffering my body was going through as it struggled to process the sudden loss of blood, I willed myself to remain conscious, willed myself to keep my arms held out, even though they felt heavier and heavier with each passing second, and willed myself stay on my legs, which were roaring in pain as they barely held me up, as my life force continued draining away. As this was going on, I could hear gasps of astonishment from the other Heroes, and gasps and cries of horror from my party-members as they saw what was happening to me.

Despite his current icy predicament, the Pope let out a bellowing laugh as he drunk in the pain I was going through. "A fitting end for a Devil, consumed by his own power!" With those words, he broke himself out of his icy prison using his weapon's Spear form before pointing it in my direction. "You should be grateful, Devil of the Shield, that God still sees fit to purify you! Now prepare for your undoing!"

Despite the sheer agony coursing through my body, I suddenly felt a massive force of power rushed through the ground under my feet as the pool of blood suddenly vanished. As this happened, I had a feeling that my attack was about to strike, and so, as I slowly raised my head to look at the Pope, I managed to crack my face into a feral grin, despite all the pain shooting through me every time I moved a limb. "This…is the end…" I croaked out, every word a struggle. "But not…for me. This…is your end Pope Balmus. Now…DIE!"

The Pope frowned for a short moment before looking down in horror as the ground beneath his feet cracked open, and from it rose a horrific snake-like amalgamation made from metallic chains which proceeded to trap the Pope within its mouth, only his weapon keeping it prised open was preventing him from falling into the snapping jaws beneath his feet!

"How could this happen?!" The Pope cried in horror as the amalgamation continued to rise into the air, the shaft of his weapon bending awkwardly from the sheer force of keeping the mouth prised open. "I am an apostle of God! I AM THE POPE!" With those final words, his weapon finally broke, and with one last gasp of despair, he plummeted into the waiting iron jaws, which snapped completely shut on his body, causing him to let out a huge wail of agony as a large river of blood spewed forth. As we watched on in horror, his body completely burst apart as the monster's jaws devoured him!

Once it had finished its grisly snack, the contraption born from my Blood Sacrifice receded into the ground from whence it came, and as it did so, the walls of the Cathedral started fading away now that the one who had cast it was no more. And as I felt myself weaken even more and more to the point where I could no longer keep myself upright, I managed to let out one final chuckle at my enemy's fate.

"Fergus…wins. Flawless…victory…" "_YES! I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THAT! Even if it was anything but flawless. Speaking of which…_" These were my final thoughts and words as my body finally collapsed to the ground, my energy completely spent as I sprawled forward helplessly onto my chest. And as I desperately clawed at the ground in front of me with my left hand, trying to keep myself from passing out, I could dimly hear the cries of my companions and their footsteps as they raced over to where I lay.

"Master Fergus, please hold on! Don't leave me!" I heard Raphtalia yell out, and my heart shattered as I heard the terror in her voice, and I felt her desperately wrap her arms around my shoulders as if she could somehow physically take away my pain.

"Master please get up! MASTER!" I heard Filo wail.

"He's lost a lot of blood…what sort of attack was that?!" I heard Melty cry out as she too sounded like she was in floods of tears

"Did he…sacrifice himself for us?" Keel wondered, his voice laden with sorrow. "No! You can't do this to us Fergus! You can't leave us! We're a team remember!"

I dimly heard Raphtalia burst into fresh tears as she wrapped herself even tighter around my shoulders, her chin resting on the top of my head. "Please don't die Master Fergus…you can't die…" she sobbed quietly, and yet despite my weakened state I heard every word. "Please…you promised me we would be together forever…so you can't leave me! I-I…I love you Fergus! Please don't leave me!"

"Raphtalia…" I groaned softly, desperately willing myself to remain conscious, to stay with her and with my friends. "_No…I can't let it end here! I have to go back to them…and I have to tell Raphtalia...how I feel…_"

"Stay with us Fergus, PLEASE!" Keel called out despairingly, his voice breaking.

"Say something Master! SAY SOMETHING!" Filo wailed again, but I couldn't reply. I could feel myself drifting away, despite my best efforts to remain conscious.

"The Shield-Hero will not die this day!" Another voice called stridently, and as I dimly heard the sound of approaching footsteps, I weakly raised my head to look at the new arrival, a tall woman with purple hair, clad in armour and wearing a crown atop her head. "I apologise for my lateness Fergus Ward, The Shield-Hero," she continued. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the sovereign ruler of Melromarc, Queen Mirellia Q Melromarc."

"_At…last…_" These were my final thoughts before my head fell for the last time as I finally lost consciousness.

**And there we have it, by far my longest chapter to date! Now I will admit, some parts of this I am not fully happy with, although to be honest, that is due more to my inexperience as a writer. This is the first time I have had to describe an interior struggle for one's soul, as well as writing out the sheer amount that was happening to Fergus' body as the Blood Sacrifice occurred, and as such it most likely didn't come off very well to a more trained eye, and for that I apologise. All I can say is, I did my best. With that out of the way, on to the two key changes from the anime adaptation to my story:**

**1) The interior battle for Fergus' soul - Let me begin by saying, the build-up of anger and rage within Fergus was always going to be the same as with Naofumi. However, whereas Naofumi's emotions change who he is as a person into the bitter and twisted person he is in the anime, Fergus has been suppressing all of the emotions and not allowed them to change who he is. But at times, he does lose control, and it has shown when he has physically lashed out at the other Heroes. And so in the instance, where Naofumi fully gave in to the power of his rage, Fergus was never going to use that power, instead preferring to die with his integrity intact. This, of course, did not go down well with the dragon's soul that dwells within him, so he then proceeded to seize control of Fergus' body so that he could unleash the power of Fergus' anger instead. And it was thanks to the words and comfort of his friends that Fergus was able to come back and regain control of his body. And he is going to be VERY reluctant to use the Shield of Wrath from here on out.**

**2) The final battle with the Pope - This was always going to be different, for 3 very important reasons: Keel, Fergus' reluctance to use the Shield of Wrath and his unique Shields. So I changed it up slightly. Most of the attacks still happened as they did in the anime, but Keel attacked along with Itsuki before teaming up for a combo spell. And then Fergus, in conjunction with Motoyasu's power boost, got his Shield-Axe rapidly charged up, followed by the Air Strike Javelin, and then ending with Fergus, Motoyasu, Ren and Raphtalia going in melee against the Pope during the time limit for Fergus' axe. So yes, that took out the Pope's phoenix attack and the Wrath Fire counter in a way that hopefully makes sense.**

**Yup, think that's it. Once again I'm not going to waste words, so all I will say is we are still on track for the next chapter to be released next week, and you all know what's coming in that one! I can't wait to get started writing it!**

**Thank you again for your support and understanding. T****his is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you in the next one!**


	26. Ch 24 - Answers

**Now you may be wondering why a) this chapter is so short and b) the trial isn't covered here. The simple answer is, if I had put the trial in here, the word count would have probably shot up to somewhere between the 12k-15k words mark, and like it or not, for me that's way too long of a chapter. When I got to the end of this chapter, I saw it was at 6,000 words and I immediately said to myself "No way I am putting the trial in this chapter." Because when I put together the outline for this chapter, this was only meant to be the lesser portion of it, the trial was going to be the main focus. So by splitting the chapters, I can make the trial the entire focus of next week's chapter, and instead use this chapter for the immediate aftermath after the battle with the Pope.**

**So then, not much else to say apart from once again thank you for all of the love and support, for every favourite, follow and review, you guys are awesome! Also shout-outs to multiple Shield-Hero stories which are equally awesome: 'From Soldier to Hero" by zinmaster24, "The Teachings of the Bow hero" by NorthSouthGorem and "Armory of the Forgotten Hero" by Masked Spider. Go give them so love!**

**Now on with the chapter! With of course the mandatory disclaimer that I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 24 - Answers

_As I opened my eyes, I found myself standing on a beach looking out towards the sea, and dotted all around me were shipwrecks and the ruins of old buildings. As I was standing there, I suddenly heard the sound of footsteps from behind me, and turning my head I saw my four companions walking towards me, all of them smiling. As I smiled back, Raphtalia dashed the final few feet and took one of her hands in mine, squeezing it tightly. I squeezed it back as the rest of my party joined us, and standing side-by-side we all looked back towards a nearby cliff, and as I looked closely I saw a flag planted on top, waving about in the wind. And as I saw the design on its emblem, I gasped I saw that it was a half and half flag…the left side of the royal emblem of Melromarc and the right side of my Shield._

§

I suddenly opened my eyes once more, and as I found myself staring down at a mattress, I realised what I had just seen had been a dream. But hang on a minute…why was I on a mattress? The last thing I remembered was losing consciousness after we had defeated the Pope.

As I turned my body around and sat up, I realised I was sitting on a rather ornate bed in a rather fancy room, and as I looked out of the nearby balcony and took in the view, I realised we were now back in the capital. After all, there was no other city I had been to in this world with as many buildings clustered together.

I then turned my gaze back to the bed and instantly noticed my companions. They were all fast asleep on chairs at my bedside, their faces planted into the mattress. I chuckled slightly at the sight, but even that movement caused a small jolt of pain to pass through my body. "_Oh yeah, my body must still be healing from the effects of the Blood Sacrifice,_" I realised, and as I looked down at my exposed chest I saw bandages wrapped over every inch of it, realising that I was now completely undressed except for my trousers. I then reached up to stroke my hair out of my eyes, and that's when I realised that there was a bandage wrapped around that too and that my hair had been let back down.

I then turned my gaze to Raphtalia's sleeping form, and even though her hair was a complete mess, I was still captivated by how beautiful and peaceful she looked right now. I reached out and gave her hair a gentle stroke, just enjoying the feel of her hair and feeling thankful that we were all alive. However, my touch was enough to waken her, and as she raised her head wearily she noticed me staring back at her, and her weary expression instantly turned to relief.

"Master Fergus!" She cried as, without warning, she sat up and flung her arms around me, wrapping me in a tight hug that caused my chest to ache horribly in pain.

"Ouch! Raphtalia, not so tight!" I groaned, but she ignored me as she buried her head in my chest, tears falling from her eyes.

"I'm so glad you're awake! I've been so worried about you!" She sobbed. "Please, don't ever make me worry like that again…when I saw all that blood…"

"It was the only way we were going to get through all that so I took it, even though I knew what-" My reply died on my tongue as Raphtalia lifted her head out of my chest and proceeded to hold my head firmly between her hands, tears still falling from her eyes.

"You have no idea how scared I've been!" She said tearfully. "There have been moments since then that I thought you weren't going to make it…and that terrified me. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you…if you had died…I wouldn't know what to do…" With those words, she buried her head in my chest again.

Seeing the state she was in halted any further protests and objections I had, so instead, I wrapped my arms back around her and held her close to me, stroking her back and soothing her as I did so. "I'm sorry I made you worry, and I promise I will do my best not to do so ever again."

"Master! You're awake!" I heard Filo call out, and as Raphtalia detached herself from my chest I noticed that our small commotion had caused the rest of my companions to wake up. Like Raphtalia had done, Filo launched herself at my chest and wrapped herself fully around it, causing me to let out another groan of pain.

"Took you long enough to wake up, we've been so worried about you!" Melty said, and as I looked up I saw her wiping away a tear in relief.

"Wait a minute, how long have I been out?" I asked everyone as I continued to stroke Filo's hair reassuringly, which was producing small sighs of contentment from my Filolial companion.

"It's been three days since our battle against the Pope," Keel explained and judging by his expression he too was relieved to see me awake. "After you lost consciousness you were immediately brought to the royal family's private clinic, which is where you have been ever since. Myself, Raphtalia and Filo have barely left your side, and when she's not been busy with her royal duties, Melty has been here too."

As he was speaking, we all heard a small commotion from nearby, and as we all looked over towards the doorway we saw a nurse standing there, looking slightly surprised at seeing me upright. "Ah Shield-Hero, it is good to see you are awake," she said with a smile. "If you don't mind, I just need to change your bandages."

I smiled and nodded at her, indicating she was good to proceed as Filo clambered off of me to make room for her to get to work. As the nurse proceeded to take off my old bandages and replace them with fresh ones, Raphtalia explained what had happened after the battle with the Pope ended.

"Immediately after you lost consciousness, the Queen did everything in her power to keep you from dying," she said, a small hitch in her voice as she spoke about me losing consciousness. "Even though she was able to heal your physical wounds, she couldn't do much for your internal wounds. As a result, it will take about a month for your body to fully heal."

"That does make sense," I said with a sigh after a moment of consideration as the nurse finished with my bandages and left quietly. "Considering the cursed spell I used was an extraordinarily powerful one that took a heavy toll on my body, only with time and plenty of rest will it recover fully." I then looked up at the rest of my companions and gave each of them a tired smile. "But what matters most is that none of you got hurt by it, which is most likely thanks to the enchantment that Fitoria placed on it. And thank you for staying by my side all this time, I'm really touched."

"Hey, hey, Master, I need to tell you something!" Filo piped up as she came up and leant in close to the side of my head before whispering the following: "Sword Guy came here once or twice to see if you were okay, but he then told us not to tell you that…Oops!"

"_Wait, Ren was up here too?_" I thought to myself in astonishment, but I was able to keep my surprise from showing as I ruffed Filo's hair. "Ren won't have to worry, I'll make sure no-one else knows," I chuckled.

All of a sudden we heard a cough from the doorway, but instead of the same nurse from last time there two nurses standing there smiling at us. But hang on a second…one of them looked very familiar…

"We apologise for the interruption Shield-Hero, but it is time for us to change your bandages I dare say," the one on the right spoke up, and as soon as I heard her voice I knew exactly who they were, the 'I dare say' all but giving her identity away.

"But Master Fergus' bandages were only changed a few minutes ago…surely they don't need changing again so soon?" Raphtalia asked in a confused tone, which caused me to let out a small chuckle.

"Surely you recognise her voice right? After all, we have met her before." This only deepened Raphtalia's confusion so I decided to clear things up. "These two aren't nurses, they are a pair of the Queen's Shadows."

"What do you mean by 'the Queen's Shadows'?" Keel asked.

"What he means, young demi-human, is that these women are my trusted servants, sworn to obey my command and enact my will," another voice called out from the hallway as footsteps could be heard approaching our room, which turned out to be the Queen, clad in a long red dress and holding a fan, and who looked mighty relieved upon seeing me awake. "I rushed over here as soon as I could after I heard you were awake. It is good to see you on the mend." She explained.

"M-Mother…I mean…Your Majesty!" Melty called out as she rushed to get to her feet, bowing as her Mother entered the room whilst the two Shadows withdrew. Raphtalia curtsied politely and Keel stood up and gave up a formal bow. Filo, on the other hand, settled for waving enthusiastically from where she was sitting.

"Allow me to re-introduce myself Shield-Hero, seeing as you were barely conscious when we first met," the Queen said as she came and stood by my bed-side before giving me a short bow. "I am Queen Mirellia Q Melromarc, sovereign ruler of the nation of Melromarc."

"Your Majesty," I responded formally, placing my right hand over my chest and bowing as best as I could in my seated position. "I apologise for not being in a better state to greet you as is proper."

"Your Majesty, thank you again for all you have done for Master Fergus. I owe you a great deal," Raphtalia said with a small bow of her head.

"It is quite alright Raphtalia, I know how much he means to you after all," Mirellia replied with a smile, causing Raphtalia to blush furiously. "And besides, Fergus here is one of the four Cardinal Heroes, the ones responsible for holding back the Waves. I couldn't let him die on us."

With that said, she then turned to look at me. "I imagine you have quite a lot of questions for me, and I would be more than happy to answer them if you are up for doing so."

"Absolutely," I replied as I tried my best to get myself out of bed. However, as soon as I tried to stand on my feet, I found myself stumbling to the side, and it was only Raphtalia's quick reflexes that prevented me from collapsing to the floor. I gave her a grateful nod as she supported and led me over to the outside balcony, with the Queen and the rest of my companions following on behind us.

§

As we made our way out on to the balcony, Raphtalia led me over to the stone railing, propping me next to it so I didn't have to support myself, before returning to stand next to the others. The Queen took her place on the opposite side of the balcony before turning around to address me. "So Shield-Hero, is there anything in particular you would like to ask first?"

"Well, I suppose the first thing I have to ask is: Where were you when we were first summoned to Melromarc?"

The Queen looked out over the capital as she responded. "I had arranged an international forum with the rest of the world leaders in order to best decided how we would fight back the incoming Waves, where we eventually decided that each nation would be able to summon one Hero each to fight back the Waves as a united force. " She gripped the railing a bit tighter as she spoke. "However, it was whilst this decision was being made that we learned all four Heroes had been summoned to Melromarc, which naturally made the leaders of the other nations furious. This forced me to travel to each nation and do my best to put the fires out before it escalated into a world war."

"Hardly surprising then that it took you a long time to return," I said, nodding at her explanation. "After all, if I was the leader of one of those nations and had found out my only means of defence against the Waves had been taken away for me, I would have been furious too." "_Thank you Fitoria for all you did to keep the world safe,_" I thought inside my head, as if it hadn't been for her actions, the world would have been in grave danger.

"I suppose the next thing I would have to ask is, how was Aultcray able to go behind everyone's back and summon the Four Heroes in the first place? After all, he's only a king consort right?"

"You are correct Shield-Hero, and the truth is, King Aultcray didn't do it alone. The Church of the Three Heroes gave him a great deal of help," she answered, her voice turning bitter at the mention of her husband. "However, he shouldn't have had that power to begin with. Before I left the country, I had left the running of it to a lord I trusted, who I knew could keep my husband and daughter on a leash."

"However, the lord in question was killed during the first Wave, and with him gone, my Father was able to act as he wished," Melty piped up with a forlorn expression as a sudden thought occurred to me.

"Was this lord by any chance the lord of the Seaetto region, the same one who was kind to the demi-human population of Melromarc?" I asked.

Melty nodded in response. "Yes, it was. He was a good man, and his death saddened many."

Mirellia then took the conversation in an unexpected direction. "I must say Melty, it is good to see you have made some friends," she said with a smile at her younger daughter. "It has really allowed you to open up and be yourself, and I would strongly encourage to remain on good terms with the Shield-Hero's party."

The sudden shift in conversation caught me a little on the hop but I recovered quickly. "That shouldn't be a problem. We all like Melty, and she has been a good friend to all of us, right guys?" I replied, looking over at the other members of my party who all nodded enthusiastically in response.

"MOTHER!" Melty cried, her face blushing red with embarrassment which caused us all to laugh. Once we had stopped laughing, I decided to get the conversation back on track.

"Speaking of the King, why was he so predisposed to dislike me, even before I had done anything?" I asked, addressing the Queen once more.

The Queen sighed as she responded. "King Aultcray has his own personal reasons for disliking the Shield-Hero, and it was for those reasons that the Three Heroes Church was able to manipulate him into doing whatever they wanted."

"So in other words, he put his personal issues above world peace and the security of the country," I clarified with a grimace. "Damn him! If he had just done the right thing and looked past those issues, we could have gotten along and formed a good partnership!"

"It didn't help that my daughter Malty made things a lot worse by trying to ensnare you in her clutches before carrying out her plot," she responded, nodding in agreement.

"So what would have happened had things gone the way they were supposed to, and I had been summoned to another country like say…Siltvelt?" I then asked.

"The population of Siltvelt is entirely made up of demi-human who worship the Shield-Hero," she replied with a rueful smile. "If you had been summoned there, you would have been treated very well. In fact, you may have even been worshipped as a god."

"Well, I already know what that feels like, after all, some of the people in your country started venerating me as the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl after what I did for them. " I chuckled, my hand scratching my chin in thought. "You know, I might go over to Siltvelt once I am all healed up and check it out for myself. After all, any treatment I get there would probably be many times better than what I've been through here…"

Mirellia proceeded to give me a long stare before she replied. "After all you have been through, it would be wrong of me to keep you exclusively in Melromarc. But what I can do is make up for everything you have gone through since you first arrived in this world. I will see to it that your name is cleared of all the false charges that have been laid against you." These words drew gasps of delight from my companions, but the Queen wasn't finished yet. "In addition, for fighting off the Waves in Melromarc as well as putting an end to the conspiracy of the Three Heroes Church, I am prepared to offer you a reward of your choosing as well as a bonus of 500 gold pieces."

"_500 gold pieces?!_" I thought in amazement as I turned to look out over the city once more, my head spinning from what she had just offered me. "_Damn, she must really want to make things right by me. But 500 gold pieces, and a reward of my choosing? She must be wanting something from me in return, because that's a hell of a lot to give someone, even for what I've done…_"

"Did she say…500 gold pieces?" Keel gasped in astonishment.

"I don't really know what she is talking about, but will these 500 gold pieces buy me lots of food to eat?" Filo asked curiously, causing everyone on the balcony to chuckle.

"Yes Filo, it would," Melty replied with a giggle.

"There is one more topic I would like to broach with you Shield-Hero. However, I would prefer if we did it in private," The Queen said to me.

"I understand," I replied with a nod as I turned to look over at my companions. "Can you guys keep yourselves occupied until we're done?"

"Absolutely! Come on Filo, let's go find you some food," Melty replied, causing Filo to let out a cheer as the others led her back inside, leaving me and the Queen alone out on the balcony.

§

Once the door shut behind us, I turned to face the Queen with a serious expression on my face.

"You wouldn't have offered me that much of a reward without wanting something from me in return," I stated bluntly. "What's the catch?"

"I see nothing gets by you Shield-Hero. Very well, I will tell you," she replied with a nod. "The truth is, Melromarc won't be able to survive the coming Waves without your assistance, so it is in the best interests of my country to keep you around by whatever means possible."

I frowned at her response as I recalled what she had told me earlier.

"Have you already forgotten what you already told me earlier, about the agreements you made with the other nations?" I replied with a sharpness that startled even her. "After all, you were part of the agreement that specified that each nation would be able to summon one Hero in order to fight the Waves as a unified force, and yet you are standing there asking me to stay and fight the Waves in Melromarc alone? You would be violating the terms you helped come up with! Not to mention that breaking your word like that wouldn't go down well with the leaders of the other nations, who you have only just managed to pacify after a great deal of effort on your part."

Mirellia looked as though she wanted to argue the point, but quickly realised I was speaking the truth. "You are right," she responded with a sigh. " And I apologise for my selfish request."

"It wasn't selfish at all Your Majesty, after all, you were only asking in the best interests of your people, which is what being a ruler is all about," I replied with a shake of my head before turning to look back out over the city. "You know when I was summoned here, and after I got over the initial shock of being summoned to another world, we were then told about the true nature of the Waves and our role of Heroes. Faced with what was, at the time, a desperate state of affairs, I decided right then and there that my reasons for fighting wouldn't be motivated by any reward we were promised, which is more than I can say for the other Heroes, but instead by my desire to defend the innocent people of this world. Making sure they were safe and well was all that mattered to me, no matter if they loved me or despised me, and I will continue to do so, not only in Melromarc but throughout the whole world."

I then turned to look back at the Queen, a small smile on my face. "However, despite everything I have gone through here, there are some good things about Melromarc, as well as some good people who I have met, so after registering with the other Dragon Hourglasses, I might just stick around when we aren't fighting the Waves."

"You truly are the greatest and most noble of all the Cardinal Heroes, and a true example of what a Hero should be, and I am glad you will stay with us when you can," she replied warmly before her expression became serious. "After all, there is a major event happening tomorrow that would benefit greatly from you and your party being there."

"Judging by your expression, I'm guessing something big is going to happen…what exactly will it be?" I asked.

Mirellia wasted no words as she responded. "The trial of King Aultcray and Princess Malty, for their crimes against both the people of Melromarc and the Shield-Hero, will take place tomorrow morning in the castle's throne room," she stated bluntly. "It will be the realm's…no, it will be my way of making things right again…"

I was in two minds of how to react to this news. On the one hand, I was absolutely delighted that my long-awaited day of justice had come, but at the same time, I was gravely concerned about what it would entail for Mirellia. These weren't just any two people she was putting on trial. These were members of her own family, surely she couldn't be fully okay with it! I expressed these concerns out loud and was startled by the determination in her eyes and her voice as she replied.

"Whilst they may be my own flesh and blood, their crimes are too great to ignored," she responded, her hand turning white from gripping the railing so hard. "And as the Queen, I must mete out their punishment without allowing leeway for compassion or sympathy."

She took a quick moment to recompose herself before continuing as I continued watching her with concern. "An announcement will shortly be made to the public that a major event will be taking place tomorrow in the castle and that if they wish to witness it they are to gather in the castle courtyard. They will not be told what is going on," she explained. "The only two people who know the full details of what is to happen are you and I, although you may tell your party if you wish. However, I must stress that they keep this to themselves to avoid anything going wrong."

She then proceeded to look in my direction, her look of concern matching my own. "Whilst your presence there would be essential in securing the right outcome, I understand if it would be too much for you after all you have been through…"

I held up my hand to interrupt her. "Your concern is appreciated Your Majesty, but I promised I would be there when I finally got the justice I deserved, and I don't intend to start breaking my promises now. We'll be there, count on it."

"Thank you Shield-Hero, I am truly grateful," she replied with a smile, but as she turned to leave, one more thing popped into my head that I needed to know.

"Your Majesty, just one more thing," I spoke up, and as she turned to look at me I proceed to ask what was on my mind. "What about the other Heroes? Where are they and what have they been told?"

"I have kept the other Heroes here whilst you were recovering, firstly for them to recover from the wounds they sustained in the battle against the Pope, and then under the pretext of questioning them at length about everything they have gone through during their time here," she replied without missing a beat. "They have been told to assemble outside of the Throne Room tomorrow morning, but they are unaware of the reason for it. As for Aultcray, all he has been told is that the Heroes are indisposed for a while and will be on their way to see him when they are free."

I nodded in thanks as the Queen proceeded to make her way back inside my room, following her as best I could due to my body still being on the mend as she proceeded to address the others, who had gotten to their feet when she came back in, whilst at the same time beckoning to Melty. "Melty, come with me, we have some things to arrange. As for the rest of you, I will see you all tomorrow."

Melty bowed in response and, after quickly giving Filo a big hug, followed her Mother dutifully out of the room, leaving just the four of us.

"What is she talking about? What is going on tomorrow Fergus?" Keel asked me as they all turned to look at me curiously.

"What I am about to tell you is a secret, only myself and the Queen know what is going on, so before I tell you I want you all to promise me that you will keep this to yourselves." After getting three affirmative responses, I continued. "Tomorrow morning we are going to the castle for the trial of the King and Princess Malty, where the Queen has promised to make sure my name is cleared in front of all the people."

"YAY!" "That's great Sir Fergus!" Filo and Keel cried respectively, giving each other a high five and a hug. Raphtalia, on the other hand, clutched her hands to her mouth, her eyes swimming with tears as she struggled to hold back her happiness.

"That's so wonderful Master Fergus, now everyone in Melromarc will know that you did nothing wrong!" She finally sobbed before launching herself into my arms, wrapping herself tightly around me as we embraced. "I am so happy…everything we have been through, it was all worth it, just for us to get to this moment!"

"Me too…this is what we have been fighting for from the very start," I replied as I looked at the other two, waving them over to join our hug, and as we all embraced I directed my words at all of them. "And I am so glad you will be sharing this moment with me, not only as my party members but as my closest friends…"

But as we continued to embrace, my mind couldn't help but wander to tomorrow's events as I thought about what exactly would happen, and what sort of punishment would await the King and Malty. And as I pondered this, I started to feel slightly nervous, and I wasn't exactly sure why…

§

_I suddenly found myself in the stands surrounding the palace arena, and as I looked to left I saw my companions all standing next to me, their expressions sombre. And as I turned to my right I saw the other Heroes wearing the same expression, except for Motoyasu whose head was turned away from what was going on in the arena. All around us the crowd was rabid, raining down boos and calling for their heads._

_And as I looked towards the arena, I saw the reason why: King Aultcray and Malty were being led towards two execution blocks, their hands cuffed behind their backs as they were hustled along by a squad of guards. At the same time, two more guards were approaching the blocks, zweihanders strapped across their back. As their necks were pressed against the execution blocks by the soldiers holding them down, both Malty and Aultcray turned their heads to look up in my direction, their eyes filled with rage and disgust._

_"Why are you looking at me like that?" I thought to myself as the two swordsmen took their positions and started to unclasp the massive swords from their backs. "This is what you deserve for everything you have put me through! A fitting punishment for your crimes…right?" The crowd then went silent as the Queen raised and then lowered her fan, and at her signal, the swordsmen lifted their blades over their heads before bringing them down onto their exposed necks…_

I let out a horrified gasp as I bolted upright, my face and chest drenched in sweat as I started rapidly breathing in and out. "_Goddamnit,_" I thought to myself as I brought a hand to my face. "_Not another nightmare…_"

"Master Fergus…!" I heard a soft voice call out along with the sound of footsteps rushing over towards my bed. I looked over to where the sounds came from, and despite the fact it was nearly pitch-black, I could still make out Raphtalia as she knelt by my bed-side, her face full of concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Raphtalia," I responded in an equally soft voice, not wanting to disturb Filo or Keel. "Just a nightmare. Go back to sleep."

But Raphtalia wasn't going to be deterred that easily as she reached over and took the hand that wasn't covering my face, squeezing it gently. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Given how concerned she was, I was almost tempted to explain in detail what I had seen but settled instead for the abridged version. "It was about what might go down tomorrow. I don't know why but ever since the Queen told me what was going to happen, I can't stop worrying about it…"

"Why are you worried? You're going to have your name cleared, and the King and Princess are going to be punished for what they have done to you…"

"I know…but I just can't shake this nervous feeling I'm getting about-" My reply was cut off as Raphtalia placed a finger over my lips before gently pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Everything is going to be alright Fergus…" She said, and as I removed my hand from where it was covering my face, I saw her looking directly into my eyes as she spoke. "And no matter what happens tomorrow, I will be at your side supporting you, I promise."

I let out a relieved sigh as I pressed my face into her shoulder, taking great reassurance and comfort from just being around her as she proceeded to start stroking my hair. "Thank you Raphtalia…" I murmured softly.

"No, you never need to thank me, Master Fergus," she replied soothingly. "I am your Sword, and I will always be here to comfort you and cut down your sorrows…"

Just hearing her comforting words, and feeling her soft hands on my skin, made me realise that right here, right now, in the state I was in, I didn't want her leaving my side. "Raphtalia…" I murmured again before lifting my head and looking back at her. "Could…could you stay with me tonight? I..I don't want to be alone right now…and just hearing your words and feeling your touch is-"

"It's okay Master Fergus, I understand," she replied with a smile, cutting me off by pressing her finger to my lips once again. "And of course I will stay with you tonight if that will help."

"It will. Thank you Raphtalia." With that I shifted over to the other side of the bed, lifting the quilt so that she could climb in next to me. And as we laid down I buried myself into her chest as she wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight. "Hey…Raphtalia?"

"Yes, Master Fergus?" I heard her whisper softly

"When we next have a moment to ourselves, just the two of us…there's something I want to talk to you about. Is that okay?"

"Of course," she replied after a moment of silence.

"Thank you…you're the best…" I sighed as my breathing settled, and I closed my eyes, instantly feeling more at peace with Raphtalia here beside me.

"And you are my Hero Master Fergus, now and always…never forget that…" I heard her whisper before I drifted off to sleep...

**So I'm going to keep this end note short and sweet, as there's not much to say here. Just plenty of alternate dialogue and a different ending to that day as it's Raphtalia's turn to comfort Fergus instead of the other way around.**

**Sorry again for not giving you what you were expecting, but I can safely say that next week's chapter will focus entirely on the trial, and judging from my preview I can say with certainty it's going to be a treat!**

**So until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you all in the next one!**


	27. Ch 25 - Judgement Day

**I can't start this off without mentioning the VERY exciting news that we got this week! In case you have been living under a rock and haven't heard, The Rising of the Shield Hero is getting both a season 2 AND a season 3! Knowing what's to come, I am very excited and will be waiting with eager anticipation for a release date!**

**And with those announcements comes an announcement of my own: This story will be the first in a trilogy! Maybe more if there are more than 3 seasons, but for now I'm going to assume it will be a trilogy. After this (Rising) we'll be moving on to Adventures of a True Shield Hero before finishing off with Legacy of a True Shield Hero. I am very excited about this and cannot wait to get cracking with them, which I will do so as soon as the anime starts showing. The reason why I'm doing that is that I work better when seeing things visually instead of in print, I just find it a lot easier that way.**

**Now continuing on this vein of awesomeness, here is this week's chapter, which, as I promised last week, deals exclusively with the trial. Not only was this so much fun to write, but I am so glad I decided to split this from the previous chapter, as with this being 12k words, and the last one being 6k, this chapter could have easily hit 18k words which to me would have been far too long.**

**So with that, let's get on to the good stuff! ****As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 25 - Judgement Day

With Raphtalia's soothing presence next to me, I was able to have a peaceful sleep the rest of the night and woke up refreshed and ready for what was sure to be a monumental day for us all. As I sat up, I looked around for Raphtalia and saw her sitting on a chair next to the bed, watching me with a smile on her face.

"I was watching you sleep, you looked so peaceful." She commented.

"Only because I had you next to me last night…thank you for that." I replied, which caused her to blush as she muttered an embarrassed "You're welcome" in response.

Since I had had a good night's sleep, I felt physically able to get myself up and dressed, the Queen having been kind enough to leave my clothes and my armour in the room with us, and whilst I was dressing, Filo and Keel slowly came too as well, the demi-human having spent the night with his face planted in Filo's soft feathers. Once we were all awake, we partook in a small breakfast which the nurses had kindly provided for us, and after we had finished I asked Raphtalia to pull my hair back up into the ponytail I had had from before. Once that was done, we exited the clinic and started heading over towards the castle.

It's safe to say there was an air of quiet curiosity and anticipation permeating the capital today. And as we made our way over, many civilians and soldiers hurried past, whispering away to themselves about what might happen today. And whilst there were one or two curious glances our way, everyone left us be in favour of getting to the castle in time. And that showed as we approached the main courtyard, where we saw a large crowd had already gathered, buzzing with anticipation for the Queen's announcement.

"Wow, there sure are a lot of people here." Keel marvelled as we made our way past the crowds towards the castle gates. As we passed by, I caught a quick glimpse of Erhard amongst those gathered, and as our gazes met, he gave me a smile and nod which I returned.

"I'm guessing that since the Queen has been away for quite a while, lots of people are going to be curious as to what she has to say," I replied as I shared a knowing glance with all of my companions. We were still the only ones, apart from the Queen and perhaps Melty, who knew the truth of what was going to happen.

"Why did Mel have to leave us yesterday Master? And do you think we can see her today?" Filo asked as we opened the main doors and started making our way up the first flight of stairs towards the throne room.

"She is probably with her Mother right now Filo, and I'm sure we will be seeing her shortly," Raphtalia replied, her answer causing our small blonde friend to let out a cheer, to which we all chuckled as we reached the top of the stairs. As we turned right towards the passageway that led to the throne room, I spotted the other three Heroes waiting at the top of the final small set of stairs that preceded the aforementioned passageway.

Seems like they had followed the Queen's orders and gathered here as requested. Good for them. I hoped today would be the start of them seeing their error of their ways and thus take this world more seriously.

As we approached the base of the stairs, they all turned and watched us approach them. If they were surprised at all by our presence they didn't show it. "Hey man, it's good to see you up and about," Ren commented, a small smile on his normally stern face.

Remembering what Filo had told me last night, I inclined my head respectfully at the Sword Hero as Itsuki spoke up. "Looks like that overpowered Shield did less damage to you than we thought if you're already on your feet."

"_Oh if you only knew how much pain I really went through,_" I thought grimly to myself as I outwardly smiled back at Itsuki. "Trust me, all of this," I said, indicating the bandage wrapped around my head, "isn't just for show. I'm all taped up around my chest and parts of my body still feel pretty shit. But thank you for your concern, and it's good to see you both doing alright as well."

"Do any of you know why we were told to meet here? The Queen was awfully vague…" Motoyasu asked. "Also, do any of you happen to know where Myne is? She vanished right after the battle and I haven't seen her since."

I pursed my lips at his question, desperately trying to think of some sort of excuse I could make to cover my knowledge of why we were here. But thankfully the Queen's arrival spared us from having to make an excuse.

"I am afraid that, in regards to today's events, secrecy was of the utmost importance Spear-Hero." The Queen said, resplendent in a long purple gown to match her hair as she approached us. As we all bowed or curtsied to her as appropriate, I noticed Melty was standing at her side in her familiar blue dress and a nervous expression on her face. Noticing her friend, Filo waved enthusiastically at her, a gesture to which the second Princess responded with a small wave of her own.

"I thank you for responding to my summons Cardinal Heroes," The Queen proceeded to address us in a tone of the utmost respect. "And I apologise for keeping you waiting for the past few days. Like I told the Spear-Hero, it was necessary for what is to come. If you would please come with me." With that, she strode past us towards the doors of the throne room. As we all made to follow on, I pulled Ren aside quickly and whispered what Filo had told me yesterday. Ren looked mortified but I quickly reassured him that I wouldn't breathe a word of this to anyone, to which he gave a grateful nod.

"Your Majesty, you wouldn't happen to know the whereabouts of Myne would you?" Motoyasu was asking the Queen as Ren and I caught up.

The Queen's expression remained neutral and composed as she responded. "As I said, all will be explained shortly." As she spoke, we finally reached the doors of the throne room, and with a small bow to the Queen, the guards standing next to it pushed them open. The Queen and Melty entered first, followed by Motoyasu, Itsuki and Ren, and myself and my party following on after them.

"Ah, my Queen! And my dear Melty! I am so glad you have returned and that you are safe!" I heard Aultcray call out jovially from the other end of the throne room as we entered. "And Heroes! It is good to see you all once again! I trust you are-"

The King's expression changed instantly from overjoyed to livid as he caught sight of myself and my party entering behind Ren. I gave him a cheeky wave as shot to his feet, hand outstretched as he pointed directly at me. "The Shield-Devil! How dare you show your face here! GUARDS! Bring me his-"

"SILENCE!" The Queen shouted as she flung out a hand and, with a strong burst of wind magic, she sent the King flying back into his throne with a cry of pain. As we all, Heroes and companions alike, gasped in astonishment at what we saw, the Queen turned her glare to the guards who were getting ready to obey Aultcray's order. "Guards! Stand down!" She commanded, and they all quickly complied

"My Queen! What is the meaning of this?!" Aultcray spluttered as he struggled to rise in his seat, and I allowed myself a small smile as I watched him squirm.

"I am here to deliver justice upon those truly responsible for the mess our country is in." She replied, her voice and expression as cold as ice. "Did you really think I would remain unaware of everything you have done to make the Shield-Hero's life miserable?"

"Don't tell me…that the Devil of the Shield has brainwashed you too?!" Aultcray cried fearfully.

"_So even he bought into Malty and the Church's lie as well!_" I thought to myself angrily, but before I could say anything…

"ENOUGH!" The Queen roared as she proceeded to trap him in a large layer of ice, just as she had done to the Pope. "The Shield-Hero possesses no such spell and you very well know it! Now then, enough of your blabbering! It is time for you to answer for your crimes!"

With that, she turned her gaze to all of the guards present who immediately snapped to attention. "Guards! Arrest the foolish King, and prepare the throne room! We are going to have a trial, right here, right now!"

This turn of events left the other Heroes speechless as the guards quickly acquiesced to her commands. Several of them proceeded to cuff the King and escort him down from his throne as the Queen proceeded to take a seat upon her throne, with Melty standing in attendance. Another pair of guards rushed up and opened the doors above us that allowed entry into the stands on either side of the throne room. As the stands rapidly filled up with those who had been permitted to enter and watch today's proceedings, another squad of guards brought out a pair of courtroom docks and set them up in the middle of the throne room.

As this was happening, I and my party made our way to stand at the base of the thrones on the right-hand side as the other Heroes proceeded to take their positions on the opposite side from us, still completely bewildered as to what was going on.

"The Queen was really overpowering wasn't she?" Raphtalia whispered to me as we took our places.

"She has to be, after all, she can't be seen second-guessing herself," I muttered in response, watching as the King was manhandled into his dock, a pair of guards taking up positions both in front and behind the dock.

"Your Majesty, why has the King been arrested?" Itsuki proceeded to ask as the other Heroes finally got over their shock.

"And why are there two docks? Who else is on trial?" Ren asked curiously.

"And where's Princess Malty? Surely she should be here for this as well!" Motoyasu asked again, this time in exasperation.

The Queen and Melty looked over one another. The Queen nodded at her daughter, who nodded in response, before calling out in a loud voice: "Guards! Bring in the other prisoner!"

With that, we all turned to look towards the entrance of the throne room as the guards standing beside the doors threw them open once more, revealing one of the most wonderful sights I had seen since I had been summoned to this world: Princess Malty, cuffed and under heavy guard and looking as though she had been forced to endure the past few days in prison.

"_Oh how I have long waited for this day,_" I thought to myself with a satisfied smile as I watched the guards start hustling Malty into the throne room.

"Princess Malty!" Motoyasu cried with a horrified expression on his face as Itsuki and Ren, standing either side of the Spear-Hero, looked on with astonishment at what they saw.

"Sir Motoyasu! Help me!" Malty pleaded, a panic-stricken expression on her face as the guards continued to lead her towards the other courtroom dock, whilst her father could only watch on in horror.

"What is going on here?!" Why is she in chains?!" Motoyasu asked angrily, turning to look back at the Queen, who had been watching the proceedings with a calm expression on her face.

"The answer to that should be obvious Spear-Hero: She is a criminal." She responded coolly as Malty was hustled into her dock, again with guards taking their places both in front of and behind the dock. "And now that they are both here, the trial of the foolish King consort and the treacherous First Princess can now begin!"

§

"Stop this Mother, please! I haven't done anything to deserve this!" Malty cried as she stood up in her dock, her eyes wide with terror upon noticing her mother's emotionless expression.

"You can't do this to her! She's done nothing wrong!" Motoyasu yelled at the Queen.

"On the contrary Spear-Hero, both she and the King are guilty of innumerable crimes," Mirellia responded as she waved one of her Shadows to her side. "They are traitors to the crown and the people, and as the Queen, it is my duty to see them punished."

"You can't just label them as criminals without any proof!" Motoyasu retorted. "What are they supposed to have done anyway?!"

My party and I all sighed at Motoyasu's outbursts as Mirellia, who was struggling to hold back her own irritation with the Spear-Hero, responded. "That is exactly what these proceedings are for, to inform everyone of their crimes and punish them accordingly." As she was speaking, the Shadow at her side handed her a bowl full of black liquid as well as a small knife which looked really familiar.

"_Hang on a minute…those are implements used for applying a slave crest! What is the Queen up to?_" I thought to myself with alarm.

"What on earth are those?!" Malty spat as she too noticed what was now in her mother's hands.

"To ensure a fair trial, Princess Malty will be given a temporary slave crest." The Queen responded calmly as she used the knife to prick one of her fingers, resulting in drops of her blood falling into the bowl and mixing with the substance inside.

This latest bit of information caused the crowd gathered to murmur amongst themselves as the rest of us, even myself and my party, looked at the Queen in shock. As much as I wanted to see Malty punished, I was surprised at the lengths the Queen was willing to go to in order to see it done.

Speaking of Malty, she went into absolute hysterics as she tried to escape from the docks, only for the soldiers guarding her to push her back in none too gently. "MOTHER! Why are you being so cruel?! Please, I'm begging you, don't do this to me!"

"That's your own daughter! How can you even think of doing this to her?!" Motoyasu yelled.

"Because I know my own daughter better than you ever will Spear-Hero," Mirellia responded irritably as she finally lost her patience with him. "My daughter is a pathological liar, and this is the only way to ensure the truth gets out!"

"No! Mother, please don't do this! I beg you, I will do anything!" Malty cried out in terror as one of the Queen's servants took the bowl from her hands and started approaching Malty's dock. As this was happening, Malty's guards grabbed hold of her to keep her in place. The two standing behind her then proceeded to tilt and hold her head back, leaving her bosom exposed as the Queen's servant took a brush and, dipping it in the substance, proceeded to draw a slave crest on her chest as she screamed in terror all the while.

"Is that what I think it is, Master Fergus…?" Keel leant over to whisper to me as we watched this unfold.

"Yeah, that's a slave crest," I replied as the crest was applied and the guards finally let go of Malty, moving back to their original positions. "And since it's bound to the Queen, I guess she will set it so that if Malty lies, the crest will shock her."

"Now that that is out of the way, we can begin these proceedings!" The Queen announced as her servant withdrew, causing the mutterings of the crowd to cease as all eyes turned to her. "In the presence of all four Cardinal Heroes, the lords of the land and those invited to attend, we will now commence this trial, where we shall seek to punish those responsible for shaking the country to its foundations! As the sovereign ruler of Melromarc, I, Queen Mirellia Q Melromarc will serve as the judge."

She then turned her gaze to those on trial, her expression cold and unforgiving as she continued. "Before I inform all of those gathered here of your crimes, I will warn you that your guilt is clear for all to see. You cannot worm your way out of this." With that, she raised her gaze to address everyone in attendance.

"However, before we come to their crimes, let us clear up recent events. Using a fabricated holy weapon, the Pope of the Three Heroes Church, Biscas T. Balmus, tried to murder the Cardinal Heroes and frame the Shield-Hero for it. Thankfully, he was defeated and killed during the attempt. As we speak, the remnants of the Three Heroes Church are being rounded up for interrogation and imprisonment for aiding their Pope in his plot to overthrow the Kingdom. Once that is done, the Three Heroes Church will be abolished as the state religion of Melromarc, and will be replaced by the Church of the Four Heroes, one that reveres all of the Heroes equally."

As this news sunk in for those in attendance, the general response from them was positive. In fact, several of those watching from above proceeded to chuck aside their pendants, bearing the symbol of the Three Heroes Church, onto the floor all around us. It was a miracle none of us was hit by the falling projectiles! From the few words I could gather, they were glad they could venerate all four Heroes instead of just three.

As for me, I didn't really give it much heed. After all, my experiences at being venerated as the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl had made me increasingly wary of religion in general, not to mention everything that had gone down with the Three Heroes' Church. If the common folk are happy, good for them, but personally I think I'm going to stay away from the religious side of things in the future.

"That is all well and good your Highness, but what does this have to do with the King and the Princess?" Ren asked pointedly.

The Queen nodded at Ren before responding. "Appallingly, both the King and the First Princess were colluding with the Three Heroes Church all along."

"No…that can't be right…" Motoyasu said, appalled, as the Queen levelled her gaze back to her husband and daughter.

"Are there any objections to this charge from the accused?"

"Why would I have any reason to collude with the Three Heroes Church?!" Malty spat angrily. In response, the slave crest on her chest glowed a bright purple and proceeded to shock her painfully, causing her to let out a cry of pain as she held onto the side of her dock to prevent herself from collapsing. As I watched on, my suspicions and what I had told Keel proving to be spot on, I couldn't help but let out a small grin as I took in her suffering. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Raphtalia looking at me with concern, so I forced myself to stop grinning as we continued to watch.

"It is disgusting to think that the First Princess would try and overthrow the state," Mirellia sighed, visibly shaken by the revelation.

However, the aforementioned First Princess wasn't going to be so easily cowed. "I would never try to overthrow the state!" She snapped in response. "The Three Heroes Church tried to kill the other Cardinal Heroes as well as the Devil of the Shield, and even members of the royal family! I would never involve myself with such a scheme!"

All eyes turned to her crest after she spoke, and amazingly it didn't glow or shock her. It was a miracle! For once in her life, Malty had actually told the truth!

"You see! She really didn't do anything wrong!" Motoyasu cried out joyfully.

"You know that isn't true, otherwise what would be the point of this trial?" I called out loudly in response. "However, I will concede that Malty has told the truth this time around. After all, she defiantly told the Pope that only the royal family had the right to rule Melromarc, not any government propped up by the Church."

The Queen nodded as she took all of those points under advisement. "In that case, let us move on to the next charge: Malty's attempts to assassinate her own sister, Princess Melty, and frame the Shield-Hero for her murder!"

This caused an outbreak of mutterings from those watching as Ren and Itsuki proceeded to look at each other uneasily. And as the only member of our party who wasn't there at the time, Keel let out a gasp at this revelation before looking my way questioningly. I nodded, confirming that what the Queen said was true.

"I would never do such a thing!" Malty cried out angrily, only to be shocked once again by her slave crest, much to the horror of everyone in attendance, especially her own family.

"Sister…" Melty said in a despairing tone as she watched her sister writhe in agony from the pain, tears forming in her eyes as the truth was revealed.

"Malty…please tell me you didn't do it…" Even Aultcray was horrified by what his daughter had done, just as I had suspected

"No Father! I swear…it isn't true!" Malty cried desperately, only to get shocked by the slave crest once again, causing her to let out another cry of agony. Even I, who had suffered most at the hands of Malty, couldn't smile due to the sheer horror of what she had done. Plotting and attempting to kill one's own family…that was unforgivable…

"You conspired with the Three Heroes Church and attempted to use them to kill Melty so that you would become heir to the throne yourself," The Queen continued, unmoved by her daughter's cries of pain. "When that attempt failed, you falsely accused the Shield-Hero of abducting Melty and then proceeded to set fire to the forest they'd escaped into. Do you deny it?"

"Melty is my dear sister…I would never do such a-AGGGGGHHHH!" Malty ground out as the crest shocked her once more, revealing that any care she had towards her sister was a lie as well.

"We were all there at the time. It really did look as though the Princess was trying to kill her own sister." Ren spoke up as Malty recovered from her latest shock.

"Yeah, we saw it with our own eyes," Itsuki agreed. "If it hadn't been for Fergus, the fireball she had thrown would surely have struck Princess Melty."

"You're lying! She would never do that!" Motoyasu tried to argue. "I was there too remember, and I didn't see it happen!"

At this point, I was really getting fed up with Motoyasu's antics. Was he still trying to defend her despite seeing all the proof of her crimes? I decided to take him down a notch, see how he liked getting accused of something!

"Of course you didn't see it happen, you moron!" I snarled. "You were too busy trying to molest Filo to satisfy your sick perversions!"

Everyone in the room, from attendees to Heroes to companions, and even the accused, let out a horrified gasp at my words, all except Motoyasu, who froze like a deer who had been caught in headlights. Recovering first, the Queen turned her gaze to my party, specifically Filo. "Is that true?"

"Yeah! Spear Guy was being really disgusting! He wouldn't let me go!" Filo replied, glaring at Motoyasu. Mirellia then looked at Melty, who nodded in response.

Motoyasu spluttered as he desperately tried to think of a way he could possibly get out of this. Fortunately for him, however, Itsuki got there first. "I am not condoning what my fellow Hero has done. However, I would like to remind everyone here that Motoyasu isn't the one on trial."

Annoyingly he had a point, and because he was a Hero, Motoyasu's crime would probably be swept under the carpet. However, I knew that I and the rest of my party, Filo especially, would beat Motoyasu within an inch of his life should he ever try to pull a stunt like that again.

"The Bow-Hero raises a valid point, so I will let it slide for now. Let us return to what we just found out…that Malty was indeed guilty of trying to assassinate her sister," Mirellia conceded. However, she did turn to glare at Motoyasu, who proceeded to wilt under her fierce gaze. "However, do not think I will forget what you have done Sir Motoyasu. Acts like that are completely unbecoming of one of the Cardinal Heroes."

"Malty…how could you even think of doing that to your own sister…my daughter…" Aultcray murmured, his tone and expression conveying how shocked he was at his eldest daughter's actions as she fully recovered from her latest shock.

Before she could respond, however, the Queen spoke first. "King Aultcray, you also had your own dealings with the Three Heroes Church. You worked alongside them to summon all four of the Cardinal Heroes whilst I was away, in clear violation of the agreement I had just reached with the other nations." Her hands gripped the arms of her throne tighter as she continued. "It was only due to my efforts in talking down the leaders of those countries that Melromarc isn't currently embroiled in a world war due to your stupidity! Do you deny the charge?"

Aultcray wasn't cowed in the slightest by his wife's words, for which I had to give him a small amount of credit. "I only did it because we needed the Heroes to defend the country against the terrifying Waves!" He declared. "And besides, not long after they arrived here, the Shield-Hero committed an even greater crime than the one you are accusing me of! He assaulted my daughter!"

"That's right! Fergus raped the Princess! He should be on trial as well!" Motoyasu yelled as he pointed a finger in my direction, which caused me and the rest of my party to snarl at him in response. I noticed out of the corner of my eyes, however, that both Ren and Itsuki looked very uneasy, as though they were unconvinced this was actually the truth any more.

"Well then, shall we ask Malty herself and see whether that indeed happened?" The Queen responded coolly, turning to look at her eldest daughter. "Princess Malty, did the Shield-Hero really assault you?"

This was it. This was what everything that had happened from when I had been falsely accused up until now had been leading to, the moment where the truth would finally be exposed and the whole world would know I was innocent.

As the Queen asked Malty the question, I reached out and took hold of Raphtalia's hand, squeezing it tightly. "This is it, this is what we've been fighting for all along." I murmured. After she got over her initial shock at my actions, Raphtalia smiled and squeezed my hand back as we proceeded to watch Malty raise her head and stare defiantly at her mother.

"I was!" She cried out with complete conviction. "The Devil of the Shield nearly raped me and-I…I…NO! He-I…AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Her crest glowed once more, confirming she had indeed told another lie, but she desperately clutched her chest, as if by hook or by crook she could somehow prevent the crest from shocking her. However, it was all in vain as the crest proceeded to give her the biggest shock of the morning so far, causing her to let out a loud wail of agony as she fell backwards, the guards not even attempting to catch her as she crashed to the ground.

"_There it is…the truth for the whole world to hear…_" I thought to myself with satisfaction, silently pumping my other fist as my companions let out a huge sigh of relief. Finally, after everything we had gone through, everything we had suffered to get to this point, we had reached the moment we had all been waiting and yearned for what felt like months now, and BOY was it immensely satisfying to watch Malty squirm around on the ground in pain as her lies were now laid bare for all to see.

As for everyone else in attendance, Melty let out a huge sigh of relief, whereas Aultcray could only watch on, speechless, as his schemes fell apart right before his eyes. Those in attendance were all completely flabbergasted at what they had just heard, and as for the other Heroes, their faces were set in varying degrees of shock.

"She was lying all this time…" Ren murmured as Itsuki opened and closed his mouth in disbelief, words failing him. They both turned to look in my direction, and I stared back at them impassively. Honestly, this would have been the perfect time to say 'I told you so', but it didn't feel right given the circumstances.

"No, that can't be right! She can't be lying!" Motoyasu yelled in complete disbelief.

That tore whatever patience I had left with the Spear-Hero's stupidity. How could he possibly still be defending her after all of this?! Was he really that gullible?!

"Oh for fuck's sake Motoyasu, what in the absolute hell is wrong with you?!" I yelled angrily, not even trying to hide my annoyance. "In front of our very eyes, we have seen that she has lied to each and every person present here today! Hell, she's even lied to her own father, the one who's been defending her all this time! She is the very definition of a lying skank, and she will always continue to be one no matter what you say, so snap out of your delusions and open your fucking eyes! Even you can't be so stupid as to-!"

"MASTER FERGUS!" Raphtalia cried, interrupting my tirade as she gave my hand a firm squeeze. As I looked over at her, I saw her and the others looking at me with concern, her expression, in particular, was imploring me to calm down. Given how concerned they all were, I took a deep breath, willing myself to simmer down as the Queen took over.

"Well then Spear-Hero, would you be willing to form a slave-pact of your own with Malty and find out for yourself?" She asked him.

"I'll do it! I'll prove you all wrong!" Motoyasu snarled as he proceeded to make his way to the front of Malty's dock.

"_He's really going to these lengths to try and prove her innocence?_" I thought with disbelief as I watched the guards pull Malty to her feet, keeping a tight grip on her as the Queen's servant approached Motoyasu with the bowl and knife. "_I know he's loyal to his friends but this beyond nuts…how can he still be so blind?_"

Motoyasu pulled off one of his gloves and allowed the servant to make a shallow cut in his hand with the knife, causing drops of his blood to spill and mix with the substance in the bowl. After giving the bowl's contents a good stir, the servant proceeded to inscribe another slave crest over the top of the Queen's.

"Okay. Malty, on the night you were assaulted by Fergus, you were scared and came to me for help right?" Motoyasu asked once that was done.

"That's right! I was terrified!" Malty replied desperately. "I came to you because I thought you were the only person I could trust!" As she responded, the slave crest glowed once more and emitted another painful shock, causing Malty to scream out in pain once again whilst Motoyasu could only gasp in horror as he finally, FINALLY, realised that that had been a lie as well.

"_Well if that doesn't open his eyes to what a bitch she really is...I had no idea what will…_" I thought to myself with a grimace.

§

The trial carried on for a short while after the reveal that I hadn't raped Malty, following an established pattern: The Queen would call out the various crimes of both Aultcray and Malty, and then give them a chance to confirm or deny these accusations. The King remained silent throughout, neither confirming nor denying what he was being accused of. Malty, however, denied each and every one of the charges laid against her, and every time she did the slave crest on her chest glowed and gave her another shock, causing her to writhe and scream in agony.

Honestly, I was in two minds on what to think in regards to Malty's behaviour. I couldn't help but give her a small amount of credit for sticking to her guns, even though she knew what was in store every time she told a lie. On the other hand, I was wondering why on earth she didn't just start admitting the truth and spare herself from all the pain that she was inflicting upon herself.

And all the while, I wasn't fully satisfied with what was going on. I should have been delighted since my name was being cleared more and more with each crime that the Queen listed. And yet for some reason, I couldn't be cheery. Could it be because I had seen how this all ended, with the King and Malty sentenced to death and having their heads chopped off? And if that were to happen…was it really the correct outcome? Was it the right thing to do?

Eventually, the final charges were dealt with, and as Malty was still recovering from the shock of her latest lie, the Queen made her final statement: "I hope everyone in attendance, both here in the castle and watching outside, understands what has been done here. Despite their royal status, both the King and the First Princess resorted to dirty tricks to eliminate all of those who opposed them. They were only concerned with obtaining more power for themselves without sparing an ounce of consideration for the nation they are supposed to represent…"

"That isn't true!" Malty vehemently stated as she desperately tried to get to her feet, only to get shocked once again by her slave-crest.

"I admit that whilst my actions were unbecoming of royalty, I only did what I did for the sake of those I care about most: my beloved country and my family!" Aultcray stated with a passion that shocked both myself and Mirellia, before turning and pointing an accusing finger at me as he continued. "That is why I tried to rid the world of the Devil of the Shield! If he is left to his own devices, he will only bring the calamities of the past down on my family all over again, and I refuse to let that happen!"

I let out a sigh of remorse at his words, which had both impressed and saddened me. "_It's Itsuki all over again…somebody who started out with a noble purpose, only to lose sight of it and succumb to their own personal vendettas and start acting selfishly. And whilst I can respect him for sticking by what he's done, he's also just blown any hope he had for redemption._"

"I have made my decision." The Queen stated as she got to her feet, and with that everyone stopped whatever discussions they were having and gave her their full attention. "As the sovereign ruler of Melromarc, I find both Aultcray Melromarc XXXII and Princess Malty Melromarc guilty of high treason and conspiracy against the crown, and hereby strip them of their royal status!"

Everyone in attendance let out a surprised gasp at the Queen's ruling as I merely closed my eyes and sighed in relief that my nightmares hadn't come to pass. Truth be told, I had been preparing myself to intervene if the Queen had sentenced them both to death, since I doubted that she, despite the cool and composed front she was putting on, would have ever been fully okay with sentencing her husband and eldest daughter to death. And whilst the punishment was more lenient than what I had envisioned, it was fair. They were now completely powerless to plot anything, and they would now have to live with the shame of being disgraced royalty.

"You can't do this!" Aultcray roared, his expression furious. "I have friends amongst both the ministers and the common folk who will protest your ruling!"

"That has already been taken care of. Your friends, as you call them, will not be speaking in your defence." Mirellia replied with a cold glare.

"That is too cruel Mother, even for you!" Malty cried, her face flooded with tears as the full weight of her mother's ruling hit her. "Have you given any thought to what will happen to the country as a result?!"

"Oh trust me, 'daughter', I have given that plenty of thought." Mirellia glared at her daughter. "In short, nothing will change. All the people will see are two criminals who are the scum of the earth. I highly doubt you will be missed."

The Queen then raised her hand, and once more all the discussions that had broken out as a result of her ruling ceased. "However, that is not the only punishment these criminals will receive," and with those words, she turned to look at me. "As the one who has done the most for this country, as well as the one who has suffered most at the hands of the accused, it is only fitting that the Shield-Hero has a say in deciding their fates."

"_HUH?!_" I'm sure my jaw hit the floor of the throne room, bounced up, and hit the floor again due to how shocked I was at her words. She was giving me the power to decide their punishments?! Why?! I mean, she was the Queen! She could do whatever she wanted to them, and I'm sure she had all the ideas in the world for it, and she was handing that off to me?!

I looked over at the rest of my companions, who were as stunned as I was by the Queen's words. Even Melty looked shocked by what her Mother had just said. And as for the rest of the people in the throne room…they just looked on in stunned silence, as if their brains were struggling to comprehend what they had just heard.

"_So now, with the other Heroes and the rest of the kingdom watching, I have to decide the punishments of two people who tried to make my life a living hell, and be completely unbiased in my decision?_" I pondered to myself, scratching my chin in thought. "_What should I do? And how far can I go without going too overboard? I mean, I WANT them to suffer for what they have done, but at the same time, I don't want everyone seeing me as a monster. After all, they've only just found out I was innocent, but before that nearly everyone here thought I was a rapist and a criminal! I have to be very careful here…_"

"You're going to allow him of all people to decide their fates?!" Motoyasu's yell interrupted my thought process. "He's an uncaring monster who takes sick pleasure in hurting and brainwashing people! You've just signed the death warrant of your own husband and daughter, doesn't that bother you?!"

I snarled at Motoyasu once and was about to start making my way over to pummel the shit out of him when, surprisingly, I was beaten to it.

"SHUT UP MOTOYASU!" Ren and Itsuki yelled in exasperation as they each socked Motoyasu in the jaw, causing him to crumple the ground, groaning in pain. Seemed as though they'd had more than their fair share of Motoyasu's idiocy as well.

"Thank you, Sir Ren and Sir Itsuki." The Queen commented, glaring once more at the downed Spear-Hero. "As for you Sir Motoyasu, you are in no position to make judgements on Fergus' character, given how you are still defending Malty despite seeing for yourself how much of a liar she is. And that's not even going into what you did to an innocent girl…" She then turned to look at me once more. "Sir Fergus, I hereby grant you full sanction, and my blessing, to do whatever you wish to these two criminals."

"What are some of the options I have?" I asked for clarification.

"You could have them killed, of course, as that is well within your rights," she replied calmly, which caused Malty and Aultcray to stiffen in fright as they looked my way, their expressions fearful. "Otherwise you could have them locked away for life, or have them tortured for as long as you wish, or even have them whipped until their skin is completely flayed. Or, if you don't want to go that route, you could always settle for stripping away whatever remains of their honour, respect and dignity and proceed to make their lives a living hell, just as they did to you. The final choice, however, is down to you."

So she was permitting me to do whatever the hell I wanted with them, backed up by the authority of the crown. There were so many ways I could go about this, and as I gave it plenty of thought, several options popped into my mind, ranging from the completely sadistic to the laugh out loud comical. I had to be realistic here, but at the same time not go too crazy with the power I now held, whilst also not being too lenient. I had to make sure the punishment would be utterly deserving as well as memorable for all the right reasons, ones that the accused would have to live with for the rest of their lives.

As I was gathering my thoughts and preparing to make my decision, I quickly looked around at everyone to both gauge the mood of the room as well as everyone's feelings on what was to come. First of all, I looked over at my companions: Raphtalia looked back at me with a pleading expression, her eyes all but begging me not to go overboard and indulge in petty revenge. Filo was looking around the room in confusion, still not fully comprehending the magnitude of what was going on. As for Keel, he met my gaze and gave me a reassuring smile and a thumbs up, as if to say that no matter what I did, I would have his support.

I then turned to look at the Queen and Melty and found two very different reactions. The Queen's expression was unmoving, her face completely blank and devoid of emotion. Melty, on the other hand, had the same pleading look on her face as Raphtalia had. I knew she still cared deeply for her father, despite all of the things he had done, and despite everything Malty had done, including trying to kill her, she was still her sister at the end of the day.

I then turned my gaze to the other Heroes. Ren gave me a small nod as if telling me to go ahead, whereas Itsuki looked away, unwilling to meet my gaze. Motoyasu, on the other hand, was looking at me with barely suppressed anger, which I guess I should have seen coming since I now had the power of life and death over both his girlfriend and his main benefactor.

Finally, I looked at the faces of the accused. Aultcray stared back at me with calm rage mixed with resignation, as though he was already prepared to accept his fate. I then turned my gaze to Malty, the person who had done me the most wrong, and was flabbergasted to see that, instead of her usual anger or sneering, she was staring back at me pleadingly, her eyes begging me to spare her life.

And it was all of those expressions that helped seal the deal. I knew exactly what I had to do. My decision made, I strode over to the base of the thrones before turning to face down the accused. Everyone's eyes turned to me, breath held as they awaited my decision.

This was it. I took a deep breath, allowing myself one last second to gather my thoughts before I started speaking.

"Before I address those on trial, I would like to take a moment to speak to everyone watching, both here in the throne room and out in the courtyard," I began, looking up towards the stands. "From the very day I was first summoned to this world, I swore that I would do my best to defend you all against the threat of the Waves, no matter what it took. And I would like to think I have done exactly what I promised. However, the majority of you took the word of the accused and treated me like a criminal, despising me for something that, if you had taken the time to get to know me properly, you would have realised I would never have done."

I paused for a moment to let that sink in. "By all rights, I should hate all of those who took their side and treated me like scum. But I don't, because when it came down to it, you were just accepting the words of those you had come to trust. You had no idea what their real motives were. And now that your eyes have been opened to all of the evidence and the facts that have been laid before you today, you have been able to reach your own conclusions about what both I and they have done. Whatever your opinion of me now, whether you are on my side or still despise me, I don't mind. All I ask is that the next time this sort of thing happens, you take the time to hear all sides of the story, collect all of the evidence and use them to make an informed decision rather than pre-judging someone based solely on another's word."

I could feel, as well as hear, a collective sigh of relief from all of those watching from the stands as I now turned to face down the accused, a sadistic smile forming on my face.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's get back to these two pieces of scum," I continued, taking great pleasure in watching them squirm with fear at every word that came out of my mouth. "I have waited a very long time for this moment ever since that day in this very throne room, where both of you proceeded to turn my life into a living hell."

I then strode forward until I was face to face with Malty, a furious expression on my face as I gazed directly at the person I despised most in the world, and took great delight as she shrank away from me. "Do you both remember what I promised you on that day? I swore that I was going to come for each and every person who had tried to slander me and take away my honour and that I would find a way, by hook or by crook, to expose every lie that was told and show the people who the real scumbags were. And now, here we are, with all your crimes in the open for everyone to see, your true natures exposed in complete detail. Everyone now knows what filth you are!"

I then wandered over until I was face to face with Aultcray, whose expression of quiet rage I matched stare-for-stare. "I promised that I would come back at you twice as vicious, and bite down hard on everyone who had wronged me without caring who got in my way, as that would be the only way I would get the justice I deserved. Well, that day is finally here, and if this hasn't sunk into your depraved heads already, I will remind you one more time: I. ALWAYS. KEEP. MY. PROMISES."

With that said, I made my way back to the base of the two thrones as I continued to address them. "As one of the Four Cardinal Heroes, I swore to defend and protect the people of this country, something that, as royalty, should have been your highest priority as well. But both of you completely neglected your duty, instead choosing to waste your time on personal vendettas and power struggles, even as the Waves hit! And when your people, who trusted you and looked up to you, needed you most, you turned your back on them and did nothing to aid them, instead choosing to indulge in your own selfish desires, your only concern was how you could best use the situation to discredit the Shield-Hero!"

I narrowed my eyes as I spoke, disgust and revulsion lacing my voice as I continued to chew them out. "Who knows how many people were hurt or killed because of your petty schemes and ambitions! And you could have avoided all of that by putting your country and your subjects before your own agenda. But you didn't, and you are now paying the price for your folly! By all rights, I should have you put to death for what you have done, for all the lives you've ruined and for all the hurt you've caused those who didn't deserve it! But death is too quick and too kind for the likes of you. You both deserve to suffer for the rest of your lives, and carry around a permanent reminder of your crimes so that neither you, nor your people, forget what you have done!"

I stopped my ranting and took a few calming breaths to compose myself before I pronounced their sentences. "Have you made your decision Sir Fergus?" The Queen asked from behind me.

I turned my head to nod at the Queen. "I have." Everyone present, from my companions to the other Heroes and those watching from the stands, held their breath once more in anticipation at my next words. I turned my gaze back Malty and Aultcray, taking one last breath before I spoke.

"The decision I have made is this: Both of the accused shall be imprisoned overnight, and tomorrow morning shall be put in stocks in front of the castle for the entire day. This will allow the public to face those who have wronged them and vent their anger, frustrations and whatever they wish directly to their faces, within reason of course. This should take place under armed guard to prevent any civilians from harming or killing them, no matter how they may feel." Both Aultcray and Malty were about to throw a fit at my ruling, but I was far from done.

"After that, they shall both be forced to give back to the people who have suffered the most from their actions through enforced community service, which, if she is willing, will be organised by the Queen herself. I suggest a period of two weeks for Aultcray here in the capital, and a month for Malty, who will be bound by a slave crest should she try to slack off or escape, in Lute Village, where I know for certain there will be several people who would love to get back at her." Malty's face went as white as a sheet as the implications of my words fully registered with her.

"And if anyone should try to free them, and yes I am looking at you in particular Motoyasu!" I glared at the Spear-Hero, whose expression suddenly became very nervous. "Then they shall be punished as though they have broken the law. That will apply to everyone except Motoyasu, who, if he should be caught trying to rescue Malty, will be subjected to another kick to the crotch. From Filo. In her Filolial form!" This caused everyone in attendance to snigger whilst Ren and Itsuki sighed in exasperation. Motoyasu, however, gulped in fright, his hand moving instinctively to his lower regions as he looked at Filo, who waved at him in response.

"And finally, so that there is a permanent reminder of what they have done, their names are to be legally changed. Henceforth, Aultcray will be known as Trash, and Malty will be known as Bitch, two very fitting names for two completely reprehensible sacks of excrement, and that's being kind to excrement!"

"What about her adventurer's alias, Myne?" The Queen reminded me, for which I was infinitely grateful as I had completely forgotten about that.

"Well let's not make things too complicated. Have that name be changed to Slut!"

The Queen nodded at my words. "I find the Shield-Hero's sentences to be both fair and within my power to grant!" She proclaimed. "Their punishments will be carried out forthwith, and from now on, anyone who calls Trash or Bitch by their former names, as well as anyone who even attempts to try and set them free, will be punished severely! That is my final decision!" With that, she waved her fan downward in a manner reminiscent to a judge bringing the hammer down in a courtroom, sealing their fates!

Everyone in attendance, as well as my companions, let out a massive cheer as the sentences were passed. The only ones who didn't seem to be happy with the outcome were the other Heroes, who were looking between each other very uneasily. However, none of them chose to speak up, not even Motoyasu, instead choosing to keep their thoughts to themselves.

The newly christened Trash and Bitch, however, weren't as willing to keep quiet. "B-Bitch! And stocks?! AND COMMUNITY SERVICE?! How could you let him do this Mother?! This isn't fair!" Bitch whined.

"I am not Trash! And I will never forgive you for any of this Shield-Hero, mark my words!" The King yelled with a glare in my direction.

Bitch, on the other hand, lost whatever composure she had left as she turned to look at me, her eyes ablaze with anger and humiliation. "I will never forget this disgrace! Mark my words, I will kill you Devil of the Shield! As soon as I get the chance, I will end your miserable existence!"

I made my way over to her until I was standing in front of her docks, my impassive gaze meeting her furious one. "You tried your best to do so in the past, and yet despite all the power and support you had at the time, you failed at each and every opportunity. And from now on, you can't even hope to lay a hand on me. You've been stripped of all your power, influence and support and have been humiliated in front of the entire country! No-one will be willing to do your dirty work any more. You are cats with no claws, so have fun scratching away at what remains of your lives!"

"Guards! Take the prisoners away to their cells! This trial is over!" The Queen ordered, and as they moved to obey her commands, I took advantage of the rush of activity brought on by her announcement to quietly make my way towards the throne room doors. I dimly heard my companions crying out to me and the ensuing sounds of their footsteps as they followed, but I paid them no mind.

Right now, I needed some time to myself to catch my breath and recover from what had just gone down.

§

As soon as I closed the doors of the throne room behind me, I sat down against the wall just outside and took a few moments to just breathe, relax and take stock of exactly what had just happened.

All things considered, it had gone even better than I could ever have dreamed of. Not only had my name been cleared for the whole country to see, but the two people responsible for everything that had happened to me were going to be punished and humiliated for the rest of their lives, by the Queen's own hand. And I had been able to hold back all of my anger and frustration with Trash and Bitch, thereby preventing myself from going overboard with their sentences, whilst at the same time allowing myself plenty of satisfaction from watching their expressions as their sentences had been decided.

So deep was I in my own thoughts that I barely acknowledged the various words of apology and congratulations from the various passers-by as they left the throne room. Truth be told, even if I had been taking in what they said, I doubt I would have given it any mind. After all, my name had only just been cleared, it was still soon to tell the difference between those who were genuine and those who were merely saying it for the sake of appearances.

Speaking of genuine people, I heard three very familiar voices calling out for me, and as I looked up I saw Raphtalia, Filo and Keel approach me, all of them wearing expressions of concern.

"Are you okay Master Fergus? We were all so worried when you left without telling us!" Raphtalia asked.

"I'm fine Raphtalia, but thank you for your concern," I replied as I got to my feet, smiling warmly at all three of them. "I just needed a moment to myself after everything that went down in there….after all, it was pretty intense-"

My words were cut off as Raphtalia shot forward and wrapped me in her usual warm embrace, one which I had no trouble returning. Nowadays, any chance I could get to hold onto her wasn't something I was ever going to pass up. After all, there was so much warmth and comfort in her arms that just felt so…right.

"We did it, Master Fergus. We've finally cleared your name, and shown everyone what a wonderful person you really are." She whispered in my ear, before pulling back and looking at me with beaming smile. "And I am so proud of you for the decision you made. You didn't give in to your anger and did what was right instead, just as a true Hero would." From over her shoulder, I noticed Filo and Keel nod in agreement.

"Thank you Raphtalia, your support and kind words mean the world to me," I replied, causing her to blush as I turned to look at all three of my companions. "And thank you all, for your support and for standing by me through everything. From now on, things are going to be much better I promise-"

"FERGUS!" I heard another voice wail, and as Raphtalia quickly got out of the way, I saw Melty dash over and launch herself at me, wrapping her arms around my middle as she proceeded to cry into my chest. After I got over my initial shock, I wrapped an arm around her whilst stroking her hair with my spare hand. "Mel? What's wrong?"

"T-Thank you, Fergus, for everything you have done!" Melty sobbed as she turned her face up to look at me, tears falling freely. "You kept me safe, and brought me back home! And you spared my family, even when you had every right to send them to death! Thank you…so much! You are a true friend!"

"No thanks are necessary Mel," I replied after getting over my initial surprise at the state she was in as well as her words. "I swore I would keep you safe, and I did exactly that. And as for your family…I just didn't want to see you or your Mother suffer. Even though you are both some of the strongest people I have ever known, I doubt you would have coped well if they had been sentenced to death."

In lieu of a response, Melty pressed her face back into my chest and continued sobbing, and as I looked up at the faces of my companions I saw both Raphtalia and Filo watching on with barely concealed jealousy, whereas Keel was trying his best not to break into laughter at their faces.

"I hope we aren't interrupting?" Itsuki's voice called out from nearby, and as I looked over I saw the other Heroes standing a short distance away. Both Itsuki and Ren were watching what was going on with small smiles on their faces, whereas Motoyasu was refusing to look at us entirely.

"Not at all, is there anything we can do for you guys?" I asked as Melty withdrew from my chest, wiping away her tears in the process.

"Just that the Queen's holding a celebration and wants us all to be there," Itsuki answered.

"You lot up for it?" Ren asked.

"I'm still not a hundred percent and need to rest up, so I'll give it a pass for today," I replied with an apologetic smile as Motoyasu still refused to look at us. Not that I really cared after his behaviour back there. "However, can I ask you both to pass a message on to the Queen for me? Tell her I will be sticking around in the capital for a few days whilst I recover, and that she need only send for me and I will come."

"I'll pass it on." Ren nodded.

"Well then guys, looks like it'll just be the three of us. Come on!" Itsuki called out, and with that, they all dashed off.

"After everything we've been through, the idea of a rest sounds really good right now," Raphtalia said, giving me a knowing look. I nodded at her, knowing what she meant. Like I had promised her, we would have a nice long chat when we were alone.

"Personally, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some proper equipment whilst we're here…if that's okay with you Fergus?" Keel proceeded to ask.

"Absolutely Keel, and as fortune would have it I know the best armour-smith in the kingdom. We'll get you kitted out without any problems!" I replied with a thumbs up, much to his delight.

And there were no surprises about what was on Filo's mind. "I'm just looking forward to all the tasty food we can eat!"

As we all chuckled at her words she turned to face Melty. "Do you want to stay with us, Mel?"

"I'm afraid I can't Filo. My duties as the Crown Princess will be keeping me busy over the next few days," Melty replied sadly. "However, if you or any of the others want to visit me here in the palace, you will always be welcome."

She then turned to look at me. "I am sure my Mother will be summoning you in the next few days anyway, so we won't be apart for long."

"That is more than okay with me," I replied as we all proceeded to give Melty one final hug. It was time for us to take our leave. "Take care of yourself Melty, we'll see you soon."

"You too Fergus. And once again, thank you everything you have done. For my kingdom, my family and myself especially." She replied as she watched us make our way down the main steps that led to the front doors of the castle. We all waved back in response as we made our way out of the front doors, which had been left open for all of the guests to leave. And as we walked out into the courtyard, we were treated to a most astonishing sight. Two lines of soldiers had formed up on either side of the pathway, leaving a small gap in the middle for us to walk through.

A wonderful end to what had been an amazing past few hours, and the final sign that my name had indeed been cleared. An honour guard for the Shield-Hero and his party.

"Guards! Salute the Shield-Hero!" We heard a voice call out, and as we watched every soldier raised their swords and turned to look our way, all of them wearing an expression of the utmost respect. I couldn't help but let out a smile, which I'm sure was reflected on the faces of my companions, and it only got wider when I saw what was waiting for us at the other end of the courtyard.

A small crowd had gathered and were currently waving at us, all of them with smiles on their faces. From the crowd, I picked out Erhard, Ake and some of the shop owners who I had interacted with in my travels. The fact that they all had come today, and had then chosen to wait for us afterwards, really touched my heart.

"Looks like there are some people who want to celebrate with us. Shall we go and say hello to everyone?" I asked my friends, to which they all smiled and nodded in response.

"_The first time I passed this way, I had lost all trust and respect just for being the Shield-Hero,_" I reflected as we passed through the honour guard. "_And whilst I may not have gotten all of that back, the journey that has led me to his point has given me so much. I have seen new places, experienced things I had never imagined possible, and made some of the best friends I could ever have asked for: My best friend and Sword, my loyal feathered companion, a princess, and an archer who has persevered through so much suffering. And with the threats to my own life out of the way, we can go back to what really matters: Fighting the Waves, no matter where they go. That is our fate. Myself as the Shield-Hero, and my friends as my willing companions. No matter what comes, we will overcome it, together._"

**I hope everyone enjoyed reading that chapter and that you felt as much catharsis as I did after watching this particular episode of the anime. **

**Now then, onto the changes, which can mostly be summed up like this: I adapted from both the anime and the manga. Don't get me wrong, I was satisfied with the anime adaptation but after reading the manga version, I really wanted to get some of that in here since, to me at least, it did a better job of it than the anime did. Especially the Queen's role in it, as I feel like they sacrificed a lot of her ruthlessness just to make Naofumi seem more like a good-guy hero in the anime. If you read them, you'll find that the Queen got VERY creative when suggesting punishments for the accused. And you will also find that, instead of saving their lives, Naofumi was the one who wanted them executed, only to be talked out of it by the Queen. **

**On top of that, I really wanted Fergus to have a role in deciding what their punishments were. Make no mistake, Fergus IS a good guy, but he knew he had to make sure their punishments fit the crimes, whilst at the same not giving in to his feelings of anger and revenge and thus going overboard. So I tried to tread that line as best as I could and hopefully it went down well.**

**I also wanted to add in something that neither version had: Motoyasu getting called out for both his stupidity and his past indiscretion against Filo since he pretty much forced himself on her as she was helpless. Now everyone knows that Motoyasu is a poor excuse for a human being, not to mention a Hero, and as a result, I doubt he's going to have a lot of friends after this, especially now that his red-headed companion is off to do community service!**

**Once again, thank you all of the love you have shown this story. Every review, follow and favourite is greatly appreciated, and I hope you are all enjoying the journey we are going on. Next week is going to be a lot more relaxed as Fergus and his company are going to have a day off, and then the chapter after that will be covering the Heroes' Council.**

**So until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing off for now, and I will see you in the next one! **


	28. Ch 26 - The Benefits of Relaxation

**Hope everyone is doing well. Not going to babble too much in this author's note as there isn't much to say. I have started watching Fairy Tail for those interested, doing the best I can with YouTube at the moment as I refuse to give Funimation a penny of my money. If you are able to read between the lines you might know what I am referring to, but I don't want that to cause a debate or argument. All I say is I know where I stand**

**With that, onto the latest chapter of Rise of a True Shield Hero where our heroes are able to enjoy a day off. As usual, the mandatory disclaimer that I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 26 - The Benefits of Relaxation

I let out a small yawn as I slowly opened my eyes. Even though my body still didn't feel a hundred percent yet due to the effects of the Blood Sacrifice, it felt a lot better then it had in recent days, and I attributed that to the good night's sleep I had just had. As I pulled the quilt off my body and sat up, stretching my arms as I did so, I reflected again on yesterday's momentous events.

After the trial, and after we had left the castle, we were greeted by many of the people we had gotten to know during our previous stays in the capital: Erhard, Ake, many of the shop-owners and one or two others who had gotten swept up in the celebration. We had all shook hands, shared hugs, told them all about the various adventures we had been on and discussed what had gone on earlier that day. We had also introduced Keel to everyone, and even though he had been initially shy, he soon got swept up in the joyous atmosphere and got talking with everyone as well. And when I had had a moment to myself and looked away from the gathering, I had seen Beloukas watching the celebrations from a distance, and had given him an acknowledging nod, to which he responded by tipping his hat before taking his leave.

I had then found the owner of the gem shop, who specialised in gem and jewel crafting and asked him for a specific request. After hearing what I wanted, he agreed and said it would be ready in a day or two.

I quietly got to my feet and, making sure not to wake the others who were still peacefully sleeping away, made my way over to the window of our room and proceeded to look out of it. Rather than staying in the castle, we had decided to lay low after yesterday's events and had instead stayed in one of the inns in the capital, whose owner was more than delighted to host the Shield-Hero and his companions. As I looked out, I noticed the sun was already quite high in the sky and the streets were already buzzing with people going about their everyday business, signifying that it was currently mid-morning and that, for once, the four of us had slept in.

Which, I decided, wasn't a bad thing whatsoever. After all the early mornings and sometimes sleepless nights we had had whilst on the run, a lie-in would be good for all of us. It would allow us to be well-rested and ready for the days ahead. With that, I pulled up a chair and sat by the window, content with watching the world go by whilst waiting for my companions to wake up. And so it was that an hour and a half after I had woken up, Raphtalia stirred awake first.

"You sleep well?" I asked quietly as she sat up and stretched before looking over at me with a radiant smile.

"I did thank you, Master Fergus, how about yourself?"

"I slept amazingly well thank you, probably the best night's sleep I've gotten since I first came to this world."

"That's amazing to hear Master Fergus," she replied quietly as she made her way over to me, currently wearing a crimson nightie, a purchase I had made for her after we had finished up yesterday since she had no nightwear. "I know you weren't sleeping well, if at all, whilst we were travelling, and I was really worried about you. I'm glad now that you are sleeping probably."

"So am I, and thank you for caring," I replied as she joined me by the window. A few minutes after that, Keel started stirring, shortly followed by Filo.

"Did you both sleep okay?" I asked, which got me two enthusiastic nods in response. "Good, as I think we all deserved a lie-in after everything we've been through. Let's all get washed up and dressed, and then I'll tell you what's on our agenda for today."

"Me first!" Filo cried enthusiastically, grabbing a towel and racing towards the washroom.

"Don't take too long Filo! I want a turn!" Keel called out to her retreating back. In the meantime, I took my shirt off and, with Raphtalia's assistance, replaced the bandages around the chest as well as the one wrapped around my forehead. Thankfully for us, the Queen's nurses had provided us with a huge haul, so it would be a very long time until we ran out. We had just finished doing so as Filo reappeared in her usual white dress, at which point Keel gathered his clothes and charged into the washroom before either I or Raphtalia could object. Once he was done, Raphtalia went in next, leaving me for last which I didn't mind whatsoever. After all, having somewhere we could clean and wash ourselves off was an amenity we hadn't experienced too often on our travels, so I didn't blame them for making the most of it.

Once we were all washed and dressed, they all gathered around me, eager to hear what I had planned for our day.

"Okay then girls, and Keel," I began, drawing a chuckle from Raphtalia and Filo and a joking pout from Keel. "We'll go downstairs and have a late breakfast, after which we will head over to Erhard's shop so that he can get started on crafting Keel's attire. Once that is done, we'll take things as they come, but one thing I do want to do today is sorting out the class upgrades for myself, Raphtalia and Filo. Is that good with everyone?"

Everyone nodded eagerly, Keel, in particular, looked excited to get some new equipment. Our plan made, we left our room and made our way downstairs to the inn's dining area for our late breakfast.

§

After we had eaten, we all left the inn and started making our way to Erhard's shop. But as we headed out onto the streets, things were happening that were…vastly different to anything I had experienced from my previous visits here, obviously because my name had been cleared and I was no longer labelled as a criminal. It was all a lot more pleasant, as instead of hurrying away or looking at us with disgust and suspicion, people were smiling and nodding at us as we passed by, or in some cases were coming up to greet us, shaking our hands and congratulating me on having my name cleared, with one or two apologising for having believed Trash's lies.

We also stopped by some of the various stalls, and whilst my companions were eagerly browsing their wares, I talked shop with the owners and asked them how their business was going, to which they responded with enthusiasm. And one or two of them, mostly the women, gave us free samples of foods and other products due to how cute and adorable they found the girls, Filo in particular who was always happy to gobble up any free food she received.

These various stops and chats did take up some time, but eventually, we did arrive at Erhard's store. As we entered, the blacksmith in question was finishing up business with another customer, so we waited until he was done before approaching the counter, and as we approached he looked up and smiled widely upon noticing who it was.

"Ah Fergus, Raphtalia, Filo and…Keel was it?" He greeted us, with Keel giving him an acknowledging nod as he got his name right. "No doubt you guys had a good sleep after all the running around you've been doing. Are you enjoying all the positivity you are getting after yesterday?"

"Sure am," I replied as I gave him a fist bump before Raphtalia shook his hand warmly. "It was nice to walk around openly without having to conceal my identity, as well as talking to people face to face instead of having them whisper behind our backs."

"News spreads quickly around here, as I am sure you are familiar with," Erhard continued as Filo hugged him around the middle. "Even those who weren't there yesterday have been caught up to what's been going on. And those who still hate you won't do a thing since no-one wants to mess with the Queen."

"Yeah, she can be scary when she wants to be, as we all found out yesterday," I agreed as I suddenly remembered something I hadn't brought up yesterday. "I also wanted to thank you for all the stuff you made for us before we last left the capital. I'm not exaggerating when I say that some of them saved our lives."

"Think nothing of it, I'm always happy to help you guys out," Erhard waved me off as Raphtalia and Filo started browsing around the store whilst Keel remained at my side. "I've become very fond of you and your lot kiddo, and crafting things for you is always a pleasure."

"And I speak for all of us when I say we're all very fond of you too Erhard," I replied genuinely, which was echoed by the girls.

"That still doesn't mean you're getting any more discounts."

"Was worth a shot," I muttered before motioning to Keel. "Well, in any case, Keel needs some proper equipment since we weren't able to get him any whilst we were on the run, and I was wondering if you could help us out?"

"Leather ain't my speciality, but I got plenty of of it in the back, so I'm sure we can fix up something," he replied with a thoughtful expression on his face, looking Keel up and down as he did so. "If you want to follow me into the back kid, I can show you some of the leather I have so we can decide on the materials, whilst at the same time take your measurements."

This got an enthusiastic nod from Keel who followed Erhard into the back whilst I went over to see what the girls were up to. Filo was poking around as normal, enamoured by all the shiny knick-knacks on display, whilst Raphtalia's attention was more on the sword racks as she compared what was on display to her current weapon. I went over to her and we whiled away the time until Keel and Erhard returned by comparing all of the swords to hers. In the end, she decided she was happy with what she had.

As we started to head towards where Filo currently was, we heard a small commotion as both Keel and Erhard came out from the back. I was about to ask Keel how it went when I noticed his face was flushed bright red with embarrassment. Erhard looked calm but, as I glanced over, I could see him once or twice struggling to hold back a chuckle.

"Is something the matter Keel? Did everything go alright back there?" I asked as Raphtalia and I made our way over to them.

Keel looked away from us, seemingly unwilling to respond, leaving Erhard to deliver the news. "The measurements went absolutely fine, and we were able to decide what materials to use. But as I was measuring the chest, I felt, completely by accident I promise, that your friend here has…additional parts on his chest…"

My eyes widened as I started to realise what he meant. Raphtalia, on the other hand, was utterly confused."What do you mean by 'additional parts'?" She asked, looking between Erhard and Keel with a befuddled look on her face.

"I'll say it plain. Your friend Keel…is actually a girl." Erhard clarified.

"WHAT?!" She and I both exclaimed, startling Filo and causing Keel to look down at the floor, her face going even redder if that were possible. Even though I had an inkling what Erhard had been going to say, the revelation still stumped me.

Keel was really a female?! How did we not notice that?! And yet as soon as I asked myself that, I found myself realising that there hadn't been any obvious signs whatsoever. Keel hadn't taken off…her…clothes at any point during our time together, and of course, I hadn't seen her as she went to do her business. On top of that, all of her mannerisms and her tone sounded more masculine than feminine so there hadn't been anything to give away that Keel was actually a female instead of a male.

Still, there had to be an explanation for all of this, and as much as I didn't want to embarrass Keel, I couldn't help the next words that came out of my mouth: "I'm…guessing there's an explanation for all of this…that is, you're okay with telling us Keel, and I apologise for putting you on the spot here but…"

"N-No it's fine, I'll tell you Sir Fergus," Keel spoke up, her voice a little stronger and her face losing some of its blush as she raised it to look at me squarely. "Ever since I was a baby, I looked more like a boy than a girl, and as such my dad raised me as a boy. When I asked why, he told me that gender was a state of mind, and that if I looked like a boy, acted like a boy and wanted to be a boy, then I could be. And ever since then, I've just been so used to being treated as a male that the thought of me originally being a girl just…slipped my mind.

"_He isn't wrong, we've all been treating him like a male because we all believed he was one, we had no proof and he didn't act in any way like a girl,_" I reflected as I glanced at Raphtalia. "Did you know about this?"

"I had no idea, Master Fergus," she replied with a shake of her head. "Ever since we first became friends I always thought he was a boy, so this is as surprising to me as it is to you."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Fergus, or you Raphtalia, but I genuinely forgot all about it myself. I hope that doesn't cloud your judgement of me…" Keel said, looking between us nervously.

"You don't have anything to apologise for kid, and knowing these guys I'm sure they'd agree," Erhard spoke up, giving Keel's hair a reassuring rub.

"Erhard's right, it's not like you deliberately withheld this information from us," I said, smiling at Keel. "And whilst it will take some getting used to referring you as a girl instead of a boy, that doesn't change my opinion of you one bit. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter whether you are male or female, human or demi-human, as long as you pull your weight in my party, you are good by me. And you have more proven yourself to us, so as far as I'm concerned, nothing has changed."

"Thank you so much Sir Fergus, I promise I won't let you down!" Keel beamed at me as Raphtalia gave her friend a reassuring hug.

"Will that change anything in regards to the make-up of her attire?" I proceeded to ask Erhard.

"I'll just have to adjust a little for a female chest, but aside from that, I reckon I can get this done by the afternoon. Is that good with you guys?"

"That's fine by us, we haven't got anything planned for today so we'll pop by later when you're done," I replied, shaking his hand. "Thanks again, Erhard."

"Thank you Mister Erhard, I am truly grateful," Keel piped up as she too shook Erhard's hand. Erhard bid us a cheery farewell as the three of us made our way out of the store, collecting Filo as we did so.

§

"Okay then you lot, we have plenty of time before Erhard is finished. We still need to head over to the Cathedral to sort out some class upgrades, but we can do that later if there's something else you want to do first. Any ideas?" I asked my party as we headed back out onto the street.

Both Raphtalia and Keel shrugged and shook their heads, whereas Filo was jumping up and down enthusiastically with her hand raised. "Can we go see those nasty people being punished, Master?" She asked.

It took me a second to realise that she was talking about Trash and Bitch. "I don't see why not. After all, since I was the one who decided on it, I should probably go and have a look for myself. Is that good with you two as well?" I replied, turning to look at Raphtalia and Keel as I spoke.

"I wouldn't normally partake in this, but with everything they did to us I think I can take some satisfaction in watching them get what they deserve," Raphtalia said with a small smile.

"I'm not too worried either way, but if the three of you want to, I'll come along as well," Keel replied.

"Alright then, our decision has been made. Lead the way Filo!" I said to the small blonde, who let out an excited cheer as she started heading in the direction of the castle. We all let out a small chuckle at her enthusiasm before following on.

As we got to the courtyard, we saw a large crowd gathered around the area where Trash and Bitch were meant to be held. However, they had all backed up a little and were whispering to each other nervously rather than venting their anger on the pair, which is what I was anticipating would happen.

"Wonder what the problem is…" I muttered as we approached the rear of the crowd. Thankfully one of them saw us coming and was able to quietly get everyone's attention so that they could get out of way. As they did so, I got a clear view of what had gotten everyone so confused, and once more gave myself a huge, yet silent, facepalm as I saw Motoyasu, a frantic expression on his face, pleading with the guards to let Bitch go. Thankfully, the guards were as yet unmoved by his pleas.

"Does this idiot never learn…" I muttered, turning to look at the faces of my companions who were also looking exasperated by the Spear-Hero's behaviour. "Well, we warned him what would happen should he try to interfere. Filo?"

"Okay, Master Fergus!" She responded quietly, a predatory grin on her face as with a small POOF she changed into her Filolial form and started approaching Motoyasu, the rest of us following on quietly as we came within earshot of Motoyasu.

"-surely you all think this is way too much?!" We heard Motoyasu plead to one of Bitch's guards. "I'm sure she's sorry for what she has done, so can you please let her go?"

"We have our orders. These criminals are to stay like this for the entire day." One of her guards responded stonily.

"But she's my party member! I need her help to fight back the Waves, surely the Queen would understand that?!" Motoyasu pleaded further.

"This is by the Queen's own command, and we are not to disobey it, not even for any of the Cardinal Heroes." The other guard spoke up.

"But I-"

"Sir Motoyasu, look out!" Bitch called out as she noticed Filo slowly waddle up behind Motoyasu.

"Behind you!" Trash added as he too noticed us.

"What do you-" Motoyasu started to say with a confused expression, but before he could speak any further Filo leaned down and pecked the top of his head which caused him to turn around. As soon as he saw Filo, his expression changed from confusion to full-blown panic. "Oh, um, hello there my dear Filo. Now I know what this may look like but-"

"You heard what Master said yesterday! If you try to free these nasty people, I get to kick you again!" Filo said gleefully, scratching the ground with her claws as she wound up her leg ready to strike.

"Now now, let's not be hasty Filo. This is all a misunderstanding after all!" Motoyasu tried to placate the Filolial, nervously edging around Filo until he was directly behind her. She quickly turned around, however, and slowly advanced on him which caused him to back up straight toward us, his hands up in surrender. However, he then proceeded to make a fatal, if unknowing, error: He backed up straight into me, and I wasn't going to let him off as easily as he'd hoped!

"Wrong move asshole!" I crowed as I grabbed his arms and held them securely behind his back. "Everyone, get out of the way!"

The crowd behind me didn't need no telling twice and instantly moved to the side, some of them grinning in anticipation of what was to come.

"FERGUS?! What the hell are you doing?!" Motoyasu cried as he struggled to get out of my grip. And whilst he may have had the edge on me in height, I was much stronger physically due to all the workouts I had been doing ever since I arrived in this world, so his attempts to break free failed.

"You were warned what would happen if you tried to free the skank, and yet you didn't listen!" I called back triumphantly. "And now you're going to pay for it! Filo, NOW!"

"YAY!" She cried, and as she drew her foot back I loosened my grip on Motoyasu and shoved him towards Filo, who obliged by giving him a solid kick right in the balls. And just like the other three times, Motoyasu was sent flying, a loud cry of pain escaping him as he flew over several rows of buildings before landing with a dull THUD.

"Filo wins, again!" Filo cried as she changed back into her human form, punching the air with delight as we all let out a massive cheer and round of applause. Well, everyone except Trash and Bitch but no-one cared about them.

"Couldn't happen to a nicer guy!" I called out, causing most of those gathered to laugh out loud. "But as much as I don't want to put a downer on proceedings, someone ought to go and make sure he gets to a doctor."

"We'll handle it," one of the citizens replied, indicating two of his fellows who nodded in agreement before they all headed off to make sure Motoyasu was okay. And whilst I'm sure his body would recover swiftly, I doubt his pride or reputation would after getting humiliated in public!

"I'm sorry for my fellow Hero's behaviour," I then addressed the crowd, scratching my hair awkwardly as I did so whilst Filo ran over to Trash and Bitch and started making funny faces at them. "And I want to reassure you we're not all like that, it's just the Spear-Hero who's an idiot."

"It's fine Shield-Hero, he was more of an annoyance rather than an actual bother," a male civilian replied as we all watched Filo having a whale of a time poking fun at Trash and Bitch, sticking her tongue out at them as they could do nothing but growl in response, much to everyone's amusement except Raphtalia's, who sighed in exasperation at her friend's behaviour.

"Come along Filo, that's enough now," she called out firmly as she made her way over. "You need to start showing a little maturity, especially out in public."

"But Raphtalia, this is our day off, at least allow me to have some fun!" Filo whined in response, but Raphtalia was unmoved.

"There are plenty of other ways we can have fun. For example, if you come with me now, I'll give you some of my dinner this evening. And that's a promise."

As usual when it came to Filo, food was a very strong bargaining chip, and nine times out of ten it succeeded. And this was one of them as Filo proceeded to stop making fun of Trash and Bitch, giving them one last cheery wave before running back over to me and Keel. However, just as Raphtalia was about to follow her, I saw Trash mutter something under his breath which was too quiet for me to hear.

However, Raphtalia had heard it, and whatever Trash had said made her turn round to face him, her usual smile replaced with a disapproving frown. "I'm sorry, would you like to repeat that? I don't think I quite heard you."

"You filthy demi-human!" Trash spat, much louder this time. "I will see all of your kind put down like the animals they are!"

Everyone gasped in horror at his words, except for Keel who snarled in anger. "That monster! How dare he?!" She was just about to make her way over to give him a piece of her mind, only for me to grab her arm and stop her.

"He's not worth it Keel, trust me," I muttered as I too struggled to hold back my anger since he had not only insulted two of my friends to their faces but also a group of people I had come to care very deeply about.

As for Raphtalia, she did nothing but stare at Trash for a while, and as she did I could see her struggling to keep a lid on her anger as well. Out of the four of us, Raphtalia was usually the best at staying calm but even she had her limits. So I wasn't totally surprised when she proceeded to bend down and slap Trash clean across the face.

And as she did so, everyone, including myself, Filo and Keel, let out a massive cheer, a reaction I wasn't expecting yet greatly enjoyed all the same as Raphtalia made her way back over to us, her face red and her body shaking. If I had to guess, she probably couldn't believe what she had just done. "I'm-I'm really sorry you all had to see that…" she muttered abashedly once we were in earshot.

"Are you kidding? That was amazing Raphtalia!" Keel replied enthusiastically in an attempt to cheer her up, with Filo expressing similar sentiments.

"Are you alright?" I asked her with concern as she let out another tremble.

"I'm-I'm okay Master Fergus, I just need a few-" Her reply was cut off as I gave her a comforting hug, wrapping my arms around her gently as she laid her face into my shoulder, which thankfully caused her body to stop trembling.

"There was nothing wrong with what you just did," I murmured in her ear reassuringly. "There's only so much a person can take before they lash out, even you. And considering how much they've put us through…I would say your reaction was more than justified."

"Thank you, Master Fergus, you always know the right words to make me feel better," she replied, her voice slightly muffled by my shoulder as she wrapped her arms around me in return. We held the hug for a small while before breaking apart and turning to face the other two, who were trying their best not to giggle.

"Anything you two want to tell us?" I asked with a raised eyebrow as Raphtalia blushed.

"Nope! Not at all!" Keel replied instantly, Filo nodding frantically as well. "So what shall we do now Fergus?"

I was still slightly suspicious but let it slide for the time being. "Well, I think we've had enough excitement here for today. Since we need to give Erhard more time to craft Keel's gear, I'd say it's about time we headed over to the Cathedral and sorted out some class upgrades!"

My announcement caused Filo to let out a cheer and Raphtalia to smile as we proceeded to make our way out of the courtyard. Filo was rushing on ahead in excitement, and with Keel keeping up to make sure she didn't wander off, that meant myself and Raphtalia were walking alongside each other.

"You know, what you did back there…I'd been wanting to do that for a very long time, but seeing you do it felt more…satisfying," I murmured in her ear, causing her face to blush a little more as I proceeded to lower my voice even further. "And I never thought I'd be saying this but what you did…was very attractive…"

I'm not sure where that came from all of a sudden. Maybe I just wanted to make Raphtalia feel a bit better, or I was just being incredibly daring. But regardless, those were probably the last words Raphtalia expected to hear, her face flushing fully crimson as she stopped in her tracks, taking a moment to process what I had just said. However, her tail gave away exactly how she was feeling as it swished frantically back and forth in excitement.

"_She's too easy to get flustered sometimes…_" I thought to myself as I let out a loud chuckle, winking at her before quickening my pace to catch up with Filo and Keel. After a while, I felt and saw Raphtalia rejoin us, her face still bright red from what I had previously said.

"You're so mean Master Fergus…" she whined softly, grabbing my hand and squeezing it firmly. Given what I had just put her through, I allowed her to have it. This again reminded me that, as soon as we had a moment to ourselves, we needed to have a chat about our feelings.

Although given what had just occurred, I doubt it was going to be a very long conversation, and the thought of that made my heart quicken…and I had absolutely no idea why…

§

After another pleasant walk through the streets of the capital, where once more we mingled with various stall owners and passers-by, we finally reached the former Church of the Three Heroes, now the Cathedral of the Four Heroes due to the change of religion. As a result, another spire had been quickly constructed, on top of which was a perfect replica of my Shield. And over the entryway was the same symbol that had once been used by the Church of the Three Heroes, only this time the Shield was added behind them.

As we entered the building, we found out that the atmosphere has changed as well. Gone were the sisters whispering behind our backs and the air of suspicion that had seemed to follow me around, instead we were greeted very politely by a pair of sisters, who after listening to our explanation of what we needed motioned for us to follow them up towards the Hourglass. And as we were making our way there, everyone we passed by, whether a sister or visitor, gave us a polite bow and greeting, which we responded to accordingly.

"Hey! It's Fergus and his party!" We heard a familiar voice call out, and as we rounded the corner and entered the chamber where the Hourglass was located, my eyes widened at who it was as my face cracked into a wide smile.

"Ake! What are you doing here?" I asked as I wandered over and shook his hand. And not only was Ake here but the rest of the party who had fought alongside us against the Wave as well!

"Her Majesty asked us to guard the Hourglass so, here we are!" Ake replied as our parties greeted each other, with Raphtalia and Filo introducing Keel to them. "I'm assuming you are here for your class upgrades?"

"We are indeed," I replied as he led us over to the Hourglass. "Raphtalia and Filo will be up first, and then I'll sort myself out after they are done. Unfortunately, Keel still isn't at a high enough level but once she is, we'll be back to sort hers out too."

"Of course, and have you decided on their upgrades?"

I shook my head, looking at the girls who were watching the sands crawling down the Hourglass. "As it's a choice that will affect the rest of their lives, I'm leaving it entirely up to them."

"Very well then. Would you like to follow me then you two?" He asked Filo and Raphtalia politely. "It's very simple really. All you do is approach the Hourglass, and the option to receive a Class Upgrade will appear in front of you. Once you accept that, you will then be able to make your choice, and then the Hourglass will do the rest."

The girls looked in my direction, waiting for my approval, and I nodded, indicating that they should listen to Ake as Keel retreated to the entryway. With that, the girls followed him up to the hourglass and did as he instructed by placing their hands on the Hourglass.

However, as they did so, my Status Menu opened up in front of me with a wealth of information divided into two separate windows, one with Raphtalia's stats in the top corner, the other with Filo's. As I studied them quickly, I realised that they were paths of advancement for them both with detailed information about what each path would entail.

"What's going on?" I asked Ake. "I thought the choice was theirs. Why am I suddenly being asked to decide their future for them?"

"I-I'm not sure Sir Shield-Hero, this has never happened before," Ake stammered in response, looking at his fellow party members who could only shrug in response.

"I'm happy for you to make the choice for me Master Fergus. I trust you completely." Raphtalia smiled at me.

"Yeah! Master knows best after all!" Filo piped up, but I shook my head at them both.

"I appreciate and am touched by your trust," I replied, making sure to choose my words with care. "But I am no ruler, and certainly no dictator. Even though I am a Hero, and the one leading this party, we are all equals, and as such we all make our own decisions. Furthermore, having watched both of you grow from the beginning, I am eager for that to continue, and in order for you to grow as people, you have to take confidence in your own decisions. Only you know what is best for you as a person, and I will always support you in whatever decision you make." With those words, I focused on the 'Reject' options at the bottom of the respective branches, and in response, all the information faded from my field of view.

Both girls beamed at me in response, Raphtalia especially was touched as she clutched her heart with her spare hand. "We understand Master Fergus and thank you for believing in us," Raphtalia responded. With that, both her and Filo turned their gazes back to the Hourglass which, as if responding to the decision I had made, started to glow with a blinding light that started flowing into the girls' bodies, causing their bodies to glow as well. There was a sudden flash of light, and then everything returned to normal as both the Hourglass and their girls stopped glowing.

"There we are then, the class upgrade process is complete," Ake announced, and as I looked over at the girls' nameplates in my Status Menu, noticing briefly that the stars next to them had vanished, and brought up their stats, my eyes widened at what appeared in front of me.

"Wow, your stats have nearly doubled straight across the board! Looks like you girls made some great choices!" I exclaimed joyously as I closed the menu, turning to look in their direction. However, they both looked very disconsolate as they approached which caused me to frown."Why are you both so upset?"

"I-I couldn't make a choice…" Filo moaned quietly, close to tears. "There was nothing I could pick and so it made the decision for me…after that, it just ended."

"_Huh?! How did that happen?_" I thought to myself with alarm as I turned to look at Raphtalia. "What about you Raphtalia?"

"The same thing happened to me…" She replied sombrely.

"Oh girls…I am so sorry…" I said with sympathy as I swiftly wrapped my arms around them both. As they pressed into me, taking comfort in my embrace, I turned to look at Ake. "Has this sort of thing ever happened before? And is there any way we can start over?"

"I've never seen this happen before," Ake replied with a shake of his head. "And the only way you could start over is resetting their level."

"We can't do that, it'd take too long for them to get their levels back up, especially with the Waves happening as frequently as they do," I said firmly as I gave the girls a final squeeze before letting them go and addressing them. "I'm sorry this happened to you both, and I promise I'll make it up to you somehow."

"You don't need to do that Master Fergus. What matters is that we are free to start levelling once more. And now that our stats have increased, we can get much stronger to fight back the Waves." Raphtalia replied with a smile, and I was glad to see she was already getting over what had happened.

"But I wanted to spit poison!" Filo wailed, dissolving into a small temper tantrum. Both Raphtalia and Keel, who had run over after seeing her friends upset, knelt down by her side and tried to comfort her, which freed me up to have my own Class Upgrade. Just as it did with the girls, both the Hourglass and my body glowed as I touched it, and after a small flash of light, everything swiftly returned back to how it was.

"_I imagine that the reason why I couldn't get to choose an upgrade is that I'm the Shield-Hero,_" I thought to myself as I stepped down from the Hourglass. "_Next time I see the Queen, I'll tell her what went down here. Maybe she'll have some answers as to why Raphtalia and Filo couldn't select an upgrade._"

"Looks like we're all done here," I called out to my party as I returned to them, pleased to see that Raphtalia and Keel had been able to calm down Filo somewhat. "Tell you what, both to cheer you all up and to pass some time before Erhard is finished with Keel's armour, let's go get some food shall we?"

As always, the mention of food was enough to get Filo out of her bad mood as we bid farewell to Ake and his group. With that, we left the room containing the Hourglass behind us.

§

Now that we had our class upgrades, there was nothing else for us to do except wait around until Erhard was finished making Keel's armour. So we whiled away the next few hours by first going to a nearby eating establishment for a late lunch, followed by another stroll around the capital where we greeted more civilians and browsed plenty of stalls.

During that time we ran into Ren, minus his party, as well as Itsuki and his group at different points. We didn't stop to chat and instead just gave them a wave to acknowledge their presence. Whilst Ren and one of Itsuki's party, a girl with green hair, waved back, Itsuki and the rest of his group barely acknowledged us. As a matter of fact, the big hulking knight of Itsuki's group merely looked down his oversized nose at us and sneered, as if we were unworthy of his presence. Neither my party or I reacted to this, but I made a small mental note to watch out for that guy in the future.

Eventually, as the sun started setting, we made our way back to Erhard's store to collect our order, and just as we were entering the store, Erhard himself was coming out of the back.

"Ah Fergus, you are just in time! I've just finished your friend's equipment!" He called out jovially. "Would you like to take a look?"

"Absolutely sir!" Keel responded with enthusiasm, and with that, she followed Erhard into the back whilst the rest of us waited around. After a few minutes, Keel re-emerged, allowing us to take our first look at Erhard's handiwork whilst he started explaining what he had done.

Just like I had done with my armour set, Keel had favoured lighter materials to not only reduce weight but allow her greater movement and flexibility, sacrificing defence for speed in the process. The first layers were her familiar white shirt from before and a pair of light brown pants, over which was the main component of the armour set, a dark green tunic that was split at the bottom to allow for easier movement, and which reached down to the top of her boots. A padded leather cuirass was strapped over her chest, along with a dark brown belt with a metal clasp around her middle to keep her tunic in place. She also wore dark leather bracers as arm-guards as well as fingerless black gloves to cover her hands. The attire was completed with a pair of dark green, knee-high leather boots that, from what Erhard told us, were made from the skin of the sewer beasts found under the capital.

On top of all this, Erhard had fashioned a back strap that would allow Keel to securely hold both her bow and her quiver of arrows, which was made from dark brown leather. As well as her shirt, Keel had also retained the same bow and arrows that Fitoria had crafted for her, saying that she had grown rather attached to them.

"...and I also added a hood to the tunic should you need it." Erhard finished as Keel shyly turned around 360 degrees, allowing us to take in her attire from all angles. "So, what do you all think?"

"I think it looks great on you Keel!" Raphtalia called out enthusiastically.

"Yeah, you look properly cool!" Filo added

"I echo those sentiments Keel, I think it looks really good on you," I said, giving her a thumbs up. "Do you like it? And is it comfortable?"

"It is Sir Fergus, and I really like it!" Keel replied, her eyes shining with happiness as she turned to look gratefully at Erhard. "Thank you so much, Mister Erhard. I promise I will repay you somehow!" She said whilst bowing repeatedly.

"No need for thanks kid, it was my pleasure," Erhard replied with a fond smile. "I'm sure it will serve you well in all of your future battles."

As they were speaking, my eyes had wandered momentarily around the various items that were on display, during which I had noticed one or two shields. This reminded me of my Weapon Copy skill, which then begged the question in my mind as to why I hadn't thought of using this in all of the previous times we had been here. I put it down as having my mind on other things, but seeing as we were here and not in any present danger, it might be worth copying a few of them. After all, some of them could have skills that might help me out a great deal.

And so it was that after they had all stopped gushing over Keel's new attire that I decided to approach Erhard about it, as I internally told myself to word what I was about to say very carefully to make sure he understood.

"Say, Erhard, do you remember me telling you about the Weapon Copy skill I have a while back?" I began cautiously.

"Yeah I think I recall you talking to me about it," he replied, giving me a curious look. "What about it?"

"Well, what I'm about to propose is something you probably haven't dealt with before, but I want to get your view on it before we proceed," I continued. "I would like to copy some of the Shields you have here, but at the same time I don't want you to accuse me of robbing you blind, as whilst I am not taking the Shields outright, I am copying their design and taking the abilities they bestow, and thus I am denying you a potential customer in the process. I am happy to compensate you for that, but I want your opinion on what amount."

"Hmmm, I see where you are getting at…" Erhard nodded in understanding as he put his hand to his chin, thinking through my request. After a short period of consideration, he spoke up again. "Taking into consideration you are a regular customer here and have always done your business here fairly, whilst at the same time making sure I am not suffering any financial losses…I'm prepared to allow you to copy the Shields at half of their asking prices. Is that reasonable?"

Since I was expecting him to charge me more than that, I was more than happy to agree to his offer. "You have a deal," I replied, reaching out my hand which he proceeded to shake firmly, sealing the deal. "Well then, if you want to get something out so that we record which Shields I've copied as well as their price, let's get to it."

With that, and with the rest of my party watching on with both excitement and curiosity, Erhard and I proceeded to wander around the shop for the next half an hour or so as I used the small device that Erhard had previously given me to examine each Shield, along with their stats and any potential abilities they could give me, whilst Erhard followed me around with a piece of paper and writing implement at the ready. Since I didn't want to rack up too much of a bill, I settled for those Shields which would give me additional forms of the same Shields, those with useful stat increases and ones that came with useful abilities, and so I ended up absorbing only four Shields at the moment:

The Shadowsteel Shield  
The Heavy Shield  
The Iron Shield, which also gave me the Red Iron Shield, the Pink Iron Shield, the White Iron Shield, the Brown Iron Shield, the Blue Iron Shield and the Sky Blue Iron Shield, as well as the Shield Bash skill.  
And finally the Iron Meteorite Shield, which gave me the Meteor Shield skill that I figured would work in a similar method to the Meteor skills other Heroes used.

Once that was done, Erhard and I returned to the store counter, where between us we totalled up the costs of both the Shields and Keel's armour. It may have added up to half of my current funds, but I was more than happy to pay for it seeing as the items were involved would be benefiting both myself and Keel. After I had paid, Filo, rather unsurprisingly, expressed a desire for some supper, so with that, with Keel thanking him again for her armour, we bid Erhard a fond farewell, to which he responded by wishing us well on our future adventures.

§

"A toast! To an awesome day off!" I called out, raising a mug of water.

"TO AN AWESOME DAY OFF!" The rest of my party reciprocated as we brought our mugs together before sipping their contents, after which we each proceeded to dig into our evening meal back at the inn where we were currently staying.

"Even though today was a day off, we managed to accomplish an awful lot, as well as learn many new things! In my books, that's a day well spent." I reflected whilst taking a break from my meal. "We sorted out Keel's new armour, found out that she is actually a girl, poked fun at Trash and Bitch, made Motoyasu look even more of a fool, sorted out class upgrades and acquired some more Shields. Yup, a good day all around!"

With that said, I then proceeded to look at my companions who were all watching me curiously. "What about you guys? What did you get from today?" I asked them.

"Well, I learned that bottling up my feelings is never a good idea and that I need to give them an outlet every once a while," Raphtalia volunteered after a moment of thought. "And I also found out you are a horrible tease…" she added in a quiet aside for my ears only, which caused me to let out a small chuckle.

"I learned that kicking Spear Guy never gets old, and will do it every time I see him!" Filo said enthusiastically, causing us all to laugh uproariously.

"And I learnt that I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am or the gender I was born with," Keel finished.

"You see? Even days off can be educational as well as relaxing," I pointed out. "And we should make the most of them whilst we have them, for who knows what awaits us in the future."

Everyone nodded at my words, after which we proceeded to tuck back into our dinners as we all internally reflected on all we had done and learned today.

**There we have it, another chapter down! I hoped you all enjoyed reading it. A bit less action this time and more focus on our heroes having a good time and letting their hair down.**

**As you may have noticed, I moved Fergus acquiring Shields from Erhard's shop (since he knows about the Weapon Copy skill already) and the class upgrade ceremony into this chapter, which will allow me to give a lot more attention to the Heroes' Council in the next chapter. And for those wondering, I haven't forgotten about Fergus' vow to restore the demi-human village nor the Queen's reward. Those will be dealt with in the next chapter as well.**

**Oh and I based Keel's armour off of a mix of various fictional archers, but was mostly inspired by Tauriel from the Hobbit**

**So until next time, this has been theoneandonlyedster signing out for now and I will see you in the next one! **


	29. Ch 27 - Of Hearts and Heroes

**This chapter is going to be long enough as it is so I will only say the following: Thank you everyone for 1k favourites on this story, I am truly touched and thankful to everyone for your support and your willingness to follow this story to the end. And whilst we might be a few chapters away from that, it is in sight.**

**Alright, time for the Heroes' Council. As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward. **

Chapter 27 - Of Hearts and Heroes

Our second day off went by with the four of us doing more of what we did the day before: Visiting shops and stalls and greeting people, whilst at the same time enjoying each other's company without the constant threat of danger over our heads.

There was one exception to that day's proceedings though: The time had come for Bitch to be taken away to start her community service in Lute Village, and as morning came around a delegation from Lute Village arrived to collect her, which included the Mayor, the chief hunter and several guards. As we exchanged greetings with them, I saw a hidden glint of satisfaction and eagerness in their eyes which was enough to clue me in that I had been right at the trial: They really were going to make her pay for what she had done to them.

After a slave crest had been applied to her, bound to both the Mayor and the chief hunter, Bitch was hauled into a cage and loaded onto a cart, her hands still cuffed to prevent her from casting any magic. And as we watched the cart being pulled away by a squad of horses, with her screaming her innocence and despair all the way, I caught sight of Motoyasu at the front of the crowd on the opposite side of the street looking as though he wanted to stop it. Thankfully, he didn't try anything this time.

I also took the time to sneak away into the jeweller's store whilst the girls were all distracted by the nearby stalls, where I was able to pick up the order I had made. They weren't cheap, but a few days ago I had set aside some funds for this very reason so it wasn't impacting my actual wallet that badly. However, as I came out, I saw Raphtalia standing just outside the door, hands on hips and demanding to know what I had been up to, to which I quickly made up a story about wanting to ask the jeweller about a specific crafting recipe. She narrowed her eyes at me, and my heart started beating a little rapidly in fear that she had caught me out, but in the end said nothing and accepted my story, much to my relief.

On the morning of the third day however, we had awoken to find an official-looking note on the table of our bedroom: The Queen was summoning all of us to the palace to consult with her about a crucial matter. And so, not wanting to keep her waiting, we all washed and got dressed rapidly, and after a quick breakfast, we left the inn and headed for the palace, wondering between ourselves what the Queen could have summoned us for.

§

It turns out that it wasn't just the Queen who was expecting us, as the moment we approached the palace gates, the soldiers on duty immediately swung them open to let us enter, and on the other side of the doors another pair of guards were waiting for us. As we entered, they bade us follow them to the throne room, and as soon as we got there, those doors were opened for us instantly as well.

As we all made our way into the throne room, we saw the only other present were Queen Mirellia, sitting upon her throne in her usual purple garb, and Melty, who was standing in attendance next to her. We all came to the base of the stairs leading up to the throne and proceeded to kneel respectfully before them.

"Your Highness, we came as soon as we read your summons," I intoned formally, my head bowed.

"And I thank you for coming so promptly, now please rise," she responded with the corresponding hand gesture, at which we all immediately got to our feet and stood at attention respectfully. As we did so, Filo took the opportunity to wave at Melty enthusiastically, who smiled and gave her a small wave back.

"It is good to see you are all doing well," the Queen said warmly. "I trust you have been making the most of the past few days to relax?"

"We have indeed Your Majesty," I replied with a smile, the rest of my companions doing the same. "And I must thank you for allowing us to take part in the Class Upgrade Process. Now we can all gain levels freely once more."

"It is the least I can do after all Trash had no right to block you from doing such," she responded with a wave of her hand. "Was the process successful?"

"Well…" I replied hesitantly, and out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Raphtalia and Filo's expressions falter a little and Keel looking slightly uneasy. "It was but…we encountered some problems with it…"

"Problems? What do you mean?" She asked, frowning a little.

"Well, first of all, the Hourglass was wanting me to choose their paths of advancement for them, but I didn't want to do that so I took the option to let them choose for themselves," I explained. "And after the process was complete, I'd noticed their stats had been doubled, so I thought it had been a success. However, the girls told me they had been unable to decide which path they wanted. Instead, it seemed the Hourglass had chosen for them, and I was wondering if you knew what that might have been the case?"

"I see…that is odd…" the Queen considered as she gave the matter some thought. "Well, I do remember being told once that there are certain items that could affect the class upgrade process. Maybe that is related to the problem you ran into?"

Well, it wasn't something I had considered, but now that she said it, it did make sense. "I wonder…do you think the cowlick that Filo got from Fitoria could have been one of those items?" I asked out loud, indicating the upright stalk of hair on top of Filo's head.

The mention of Fitoria's name produced the last expression I ever thought possible from the usually calm and collected Mirellia: Her eyes lit up and her face went from serious to over-the-top giddiness in an instant. "You've met the Filolial Queen?" She asked breathlessly.

"Err…yeah, we did.." I replied nervously, unsure of how to take her strange reaction. "Didn't Melty tell you about it?"

"She has not!" She answered, her hungry gaze now turning to Melty, who had also been startled by her mother's reaction. "Melty, why did you not tell me about this sooner?! What was she like?!"

"You should have seen her Mother, she was amazing!" Melty responded, her expression now ecstatic as well as she recalled her memories of her time with Fitoria. "She was indescribably beautiful and wise! And she even let us stay at her Sanctuary, where no human has ever been before!"

"Oh Melty, you must tell me more!" The Queen exclaimed, clasping her daughter's hands eagerly as she looked at her with pleading eyes, begging for more information.

"_What the actual hell is going on here?_" I thought to myself, momentarily stunned at both of their behaviours, the same expression mirrored on the faces of my companions.

"She was as big as the monster were we fighting, and she was so powerful that she was able to defeat it in one hit!" Melty gushed. "Her feathers were the softest thing I have ever touched in my life and were the same colour as the sky! Oh, and I asked her to carry me around on her head and it was a dream come true, the best experience of my life!"

"Oh Melty, I know it is uncomely for me to feel this way, but I am so jealous right now!" The Queen swooned, struggling to control her excitement.

"She is a very graceful being, probably the wisest person I have ever met," I added. "And whilst she puts on an air of seriousness and acts like she doesn't care about us, I still think she is a child at heart and that that deep down within her, she does care for those she gets attached to. After all, she did cure Keel's wounds and help craft a bow and arrows for her, even though those are acts that are beneath her notice. And she also imparted to me words of wisdom that have helped me a great deal. I am truly indebted to her for everything she did."

"Oh Shield-Hero, it's like you are describing the most perfect and divine being…" The Queen said, swooning more so than ever after hearing more about Fitoria. "I do wish I could meet her one day…"

"These two really are something…" Raphtalia murmured, smiling. "A Queen and a Princess who both act so serious a lot of the time, but are absolutely infatuated with Filolials. It's really sweet don't you think Master?"

"It really is," I replied with a smile of my own. "And it's refreshing to see a pair of royals who are grounded in the everyday world, and who take delight in the simplest of pleasures. However, I believe we need to get back on track, as I doubt you summoned me here to talk about Filolials all day."

"Ah yes, forgive me Shield-Hero, I just couldn't contain myself," the Queen replied, instantly regaining her cool and composed expression as she retook her seat before continuing. "The reason why I summoned you all here is to invite you all to a celebratory banquet this evening, one that I am expecting all Four Cardinal Heroes to attend."

"And let me guess, you didn't tell us the details earlier so that we would all, including the other Heroes, have to attend, regardless of our personal feelings for one another?" I guessed, having had a sudden inkling of what she might be up to when she mentioned having all Four Heroes attending.

"You are a sharp one Shield-Hero, I see that nothing gets past you," she replied with a small twinkle in her eyes. "The truth is, the banquet is merely a convenient excuse to hide the real reason I want you all here: I need all Four Heroes in the same room, at the same time, to take part in a small conference where I can inform you all about an upcoming event that will benefit all of you, as well as allow you all to exchange information and advice."

"I see. And whilst I appreciate your effort to unite us, I fear that getting the other Heroes to co-operate is a near-impossible challenge. They are stubborn and ignorant and will most likely not listen to reason." I chose not to mention the fact that right now, the relationship between all four of us was probably at the worst it had ever been. Motoyasu and Itsuki still despised me, and I despised them in return, and whilst Ren and I were slowly getting along, I had a feeling he still didn't trust me fully. And judging by their actions at the trial, Ren and Itsuki had both gotten fed up with Motoyasu's continued stupidity and ignorant behaviour. To get all four of us on the same page would be an absolute miracle I didn't see happening any time soon.

And yet…"However, I made a promise to a friend that I would do my best to make amends with the other Heroes which I intend to keep, so you can count on the co-operation of myself and my party. We will be more than happy to attend." This got three nods of agreement from my companions.

"Will there be lots of tasty food to eat?" Filo asked, unsurprisingly.

"Plenty Filo, so you can eat as much as you want!" Raphtalia smiled at her blonde friend.

"YAY!" Filo cheered excitedly, causing us all, even the Queen, to chuckle.

"I am glad to hear it," The Queen spoke up in a relieved turn after she finished chuckling. "There is one more thing I wish to discuss, but it is for the Shield-Hero's ears only so I must ask the three of you to leave us for the time being."

"_Sounds pretty major…_" I thought to myself as I turned and gave my companions a reassuring nod, upon which they all turned around and promptly departed from the throne room, leaving me alone with the Queen and Melty.

"Now then Shield-Hero," The Queen spoke up, fixing me with an intense stare. "Last time we spoke privately, I offered you a cash reward of 500 gold as well as a reward of your choosing for all you have done for Melromarc, but you never gave me an answer."

"You would be correct," I replied shortly having remembered we'd got sidetracked and never returned to it.

"The offer is still the same. It is only fitting for all your accomplishments. You have had plenty of time to think about it, so is there anything you have decided that you would want most of all? If it is within my power, I will grant it."

"_Anything I want…well I know there is one thing I want more than anything. As to whether she will grant it or not…_" "Well your Majesty, there is one thing I wish to do above anything else, and as a matter of fact, I would require your help to do so. You see…" I then proceeded to explain the story behind what I wanted and why I wanted to see it done so badly.

"I see. Like you have said, it will not be an easy request to glance. But at the same time, I can tell your passion for it is genuine." With that, she turned to glance at Melty. "Tell me daughter, do you think this request is reasonable?"

"I do," Melty replied instantly. "After everything they have been through, they deserve it. And I promised Fergus I would support him however I could."

"Then it is decided, I shall grant your request. However, I will require your aid in doing so." She said looking back at me.

I knelt and clasped my hands together in gratitude. "Your Majesty, you are going to make a dream of mine come true, for which I will be eternally grateful. I will grant you any aid that you desire, and would also like you to use some of the cash you intend to give me for that very purpose."

"I accept your generous offer of aid and financial assistance," She replied with a warm smile, standing up as she did so. "I will begin preparations as soon as you are all away on your next adventure. For now, I must start getting things ready for tonight's festivities. I shall see you then, Shield-Hero."

"Your Majesties," I replied, bowing before getting to my feet and proceeding towards the doors of the throne room, feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement for what lay ahead, not only for me but for my friends as well.

§

"But why can't I go in yet Master? I want food!" Filo whined, once more trying to break free from my grip to get into the hall, but once more I pulled her back to my side.

"Because the Queen's orders were explicit," I told her. After the Queen had told us about what was to happen that evening, we had whiled away the rest of the day doing more of the same as the previous days before returning to the palace in the evening for the festivities. And now we were currently waiting outside the hall where the banquet was taking place.

"She said that under no circumstances were any of us to enter the hall until after I had been summoned to meet her and that if I were seen entering the room and none of the other Heroes showed up, it would confuse and make people suspicious," I explained.

"I wish you didn't have to go and that you could stay with us instead," Raphtalia said, her ears drooping slightly.

"I know Raphtalia, and if the circumstances were any different I would choose to spend time with you guys over anything," I reassured her, giving her head a small pat. "However, the Queen has worked very hard to arrange this whilst disguising the main reason behind it, and since she has done a lot for us, it would be disrespectful to go against her wishes on this."

"I understand that it's just…" Raphtalia murmured, fidgeting and blushing nervously.

"Hey…" I softly said to her, lifting her chin and causing her to look at me. "Once this is over, I will be right over to join you guys okay? Hopefully, the party will still be going at that point." She smiled and nodded, reassured by my words.

"Shield-Hero." A clipped, female voice came from nearby, and as I looked in that direction I saw one of the Queen's Shadows peering around the corner of the passage. "It's time."

"I understand," I replied with a nod before turning back to look at my companions. "Okay you three, make sure you enjoy yourselves but don't get into any trouble alright?"

"YAY! Thank you, Master!" Filo cried happily, giving me a quick hug before charging into the hall. Both Keel and Raphtalia also gave me quick hugs before chasing after Filo. Chuckling, I made my way over to where the Shadow was waiting, and as I got close she bid me follow her.

After a short walk that consisted of going around a few corners and up two flights of stairs, we came to a pair of doors, where the Shadow bade me enter before vanishing down the passageway. I proceeded to push the doors open and, as I made my way into the room, noticed that it was a very ordinary room with no furnishings and no decorations, instead just a round table with five chairs around the edge. The only seat that was occupied at the moment, however, was the one that the Queen was currently sitting it, with Melty standing in attendance at her side.

"Welcome Sir Fergus," the Queen said with a polite nod of her head upon noticing me enter. "Please take a seat. Once the others are here, we shall begin."

"Your Majesties," I replied with a small bow as I proceeded to take the seat on her right-hand side. "If you don't mind me asking, why aren't the others here yet?" I asked as I sat down.

"They will be here momentarily," she replied, her face half shadowed by the fan she was currently waving in front of it. "My Shadows will be bringing them here at different times so that they all arrive separately, and in an order which will ensure none of them back out."

"_That…is pretty smart…_" I thought to myself as we waited for them to show up. And so it was that barely a minute after I had arrived that the doors were pushed open again, this time revealing Ren, his surprise at seeing who was already present fading swiftly to his normal composed expression.

"Your Majesties," he addressed the Queen and Melty, politely bowing to them before turning to look at me. "Fergus." He said politely, nodding at me

"Welcome Sir Ren," The Queen replied with another bow as I nodded in response. "Please take a seat. Once the other Heroes are here, we shall begin."

Ren nodded and proceeded to take the seat to my immediate right as I reflected on the Queen's thought process. It was a wise move to have Ren arrive after me, since not only did he and I got on reasonably well but also because he was on the best terms with the Hero that I was certain would arrive next.

And I was correct, as after another two minutes had passed, the doors were opened again, this time revealing the Bow-Hero, Itsuki.

"Your Highness, Princess," He intoned with a deep bow. "Ren," he addressed the Sword-Hero with a polite nod whilst Ren simply nodded back. His gaze then turned to me, his eyes narrowing into an icy stare. "Fergus," he said coldly.

"Itsuki," I replied in a clipped tone.

"Welcome Sir Itsuki," the Queen spoke up, noticing the obvious tension between myself and the Bow-Hero. "Please take a seat. Once Sir Motoyasu has arrived, we shall begin." Itsuki simply nodded in response as he then proceeded to take on Ren's right, leaving the seat on the Queen's immediate left free for Motoyasu, who I theorised that, despite his utter hatred for me, would be pressured into staying or looking like a fool in front of the Queen and the other Heroes should he walk out.

And so it was that a few minutes after Itsuki had arrived the doors were opened more time as the Spear-Hero entered the room. As soon as he walked in, his gaze instantly went to me, causing him to snarl as his eyes narrowed in anger.

"YOU!" He yelled, pointing at me with a shaking hand. "You've got a lot of nerve to show up here after what you've done!"

"Hello there pot, I'm kettle, you're black," I replied, turning my head to look at him with a bored expression. "Now show some respect for Her Majesty and sit your ass down."

"You put your hands on me! And then ordered Filo to kick me for no reason other than your personal amusement!" Motoyasu accused, not budging an inch.

"You had that coming. After all, you were warned of what would happen should you try to free Bitch, and yet you did it anyway!" I growled, glaring at him.

"She and her father shouldn't have been in that position in the first place!" He yelled, whilst Ren and Itsuki both put their heads in their hands in exasperation at Motoyasu's behaviour. "What you did to them was way out of line!"

"ENOUGH!" The Queen yelled, slamming her hands on the table before I could retort and bringing an end to our argument as she turned to glare at the Spear-Hero. "Sir Motoyasu, if you are looking to point the finger of blame for what happened to Bitch, then know that I was the one who gave Sir Fergus the authority to decide on her punishment. And what he proposed was, in my mind, a fair punishment for everything both she and Trash did."

"But he-" Motoyasu stammered, but the Queen held a hand up to indicate she wasn't done.

"Furthermore, I am the Queen of Melromarc, and it is my duty to punish those who have committed crimes against my country and the citizens dwelling in it. And during the trial, it was found that both Bitch and Trash had done exactly that, which is why I punished them. Are you going to question my authority?" She continued, narrowing her eyes at Motoyasu as she spoke.

"But she's your-" Motoyasu tried to protest once more, only to be interrupted this time by Ren.

"Oh put a sock in it Motoyasu," Ren stated sharply. "You're ruining your reputation as a Hero more and more with every word that comes out of your mouth. And given that it's already low enough because of what you did to Fergus' companion, as well as for harbouring Bitch in your party, do you want to risk it falling further by futilely trying to defend a convicted criminal whose guilt was proven for everyone to see?"

Motoyasu seethed in frustration at Ren's words but didn't respond. "I thought you wouldn't," Ren said smugly, pointing to the only free chair in the room. "Now show some respect to Her Majesty and the Princess and, as Fergus said earlier, sit your ass down." This caused Motoyasu to let out a sigh, but in the end, he did exactly that, albeit grudgingly, and as he took his seat we got down to business.

"Since the subject of Bitch was so kindly brought up, I would suggest we make that our first order of business," The Queen began. "In addition to the crimes we know they committed, both Bitch and Trash also plundered the kingdom's treasury, illegally withdrawing money for their personal use. This was one of the reasons I agreed to Fergus' suggestion of community service so that the pair of them could work off what they owe. If, however, they haven't repaid the full amount by the time their service ends, they will have to work the rest of it off as adventurers."

She then turned to look at Motoyasu before continuing. "Which means that, if you still want her, Bitch will be allowed to rejoin your party under her new adventurer pseudonym, Slut, under the condition that any reward she obtains will be put towards paying off her remaining debt. That decision is entirely up to you, Sir Motoyasu."

Motoyasu nodded vigorously almost immediately, which caused the rest of us to stare at him incredulously. Despite the fact I had half-expected this would the case, I was still pissed. "You're seriously going to take her back, despite knowing everything she has done?!"

"Of course I would! After all, I trust and stand by my friends!" Motoyasu retorted, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Well hello again pot, it's me kettle, and once more I am calling you black!" I replied angrily. "You didn't even know her back then, and yet you still took her word over mine, someone you already knew!" I then sighed as I realised nothing I would say would sway this stubborn idiot's mind. "You know what, fine, shit your bed and lie in it for all I care, just don't come crying to me when she does the same to you!"

"Well then, seeing that issue has been resolved, I would like to bring up the real reason I gathered you all here," The Queen said, breaking up our argument. "As you all well know, the Three Heroes' Church caused a lot of bother for you, something that I, as the ruler of Melromarc, have to take responsibility for. So in order to make it up to you, allow me to divulge a piece of information that will be of great benefit for you and your parties: the Cal Mira Archipelago is about to become active."

"_Huh? Cal Mira…activated? What is she talking about?_" I wondered. However, judging by the delighted expressions on the faces of my fellow Heroes, it was something really special worth getting excited for.

"Are you serious?" Ren asked, his normally composed expression cracking slightly due to excitement.

"That means the bonus field will become active!" Itsuki exclaimed.

"Slow your horses a second there you lot, since some of us are clearly not as clued in as the rest of you seem to be," I interrupted with a raised hand, figuring it was best to honest about it rather than lie and bluff my way through it as I turned to look at the Queen. "What exactly is Cal Mira and what's so special about it?"

"Wait, you really don't know about Cal Mira?" Motoyasu asked with a condescending smirk.

"How could you not know? It's a major deal around here!" Itsuki asked, looking at me as if I were stupid.

"_You arrogant sods!_" I thought to myself angrily as I jumped to my feet and slammed my hands angrily on the table. "How can you lot still be that stupid? It should be obvious why I was kept in the dark!" I said, glaring at all of them in turn. "After all, I didn't have adventurers as party-members to tell me about it, and no doubt King Trash deliberately kept that from me to not only spite me but keep me from progressing!"

As looks of reluctant realisation spread across their faces, I sat back down with a sigh, folding my arms as I did so. "Now then, since we're all here on the same side, are any of you going to tell me about it?" As expected, no response from any of them, not even Ren, so I turned to look at Mirellia once more who had been watching the whole thing calmly. "Fine then. Your Highness, my original question still stands. Can you tell me about Cal Mira?"

"Of course, seeing as your fellow Heroes seem so reluctant to tell you," the Queen replied, giving them a disapproving look before proceeding to explain. "The Cal Mira Archipelago is a chain of islands off the coast of Melromarc that is famous not only for its holiday resort but also it's natural diversity. Not only that, but once every ten years, a strange phenomenon occurs that produces a huge number of monsters that grant increased experience points to those who slay them. This makes it an ideal training ground for adventurers and Heroes alike, which is why I am sending you all there. Of course, transport, accommodation and any other costs will be paid by the crown in advance, so none of you has to worry about that."

"_So an island that's a great holiday destination as well as somewhere we can get loads of experience points to level up quickly. Sounds like exactly what we need!_" I thought to myself excitedly, picturing the delighted expressions of my companions once they found out. However, Motoyasu chose once again to put a downer on proceedings.

"Hang on a second, why did you bring Fergus here if that's what you were going to tell us?" He interrupted with a wave in my direction. "After all, he and his party still can't level, so they won't benefit whatsoever!"

"_Is he really THAT petty after what I did to his precious Bitch? What an ass!_" "Guess you didn't hear the good news then? Her Majesty overruled King Trash's decree, so we were able to get our class upgrades the other day. It's a level playing field once more," I replied instantly, taking great delight in the way his face fell at this news.

"As is clearly evident from your behaviour so far, your continued animosity and unwillingness to work alongside each other will only serve to weaken you all," the Queen spoke up once more, her face showing clear frustration at our constant sniping at one another. "It is why you haven't been able to level up as efficiently as you should have, and so in order for you to get the most out of your trip to Cal Mira, it would behoove you all to clear the air and share whatever knowledge you have gained on your journeys to your fellow Heroes, so that you may all grow stronger as a result."

I nodded, seeing the logic behind that. However, her words went down like a lead balloon with the others.

"I'm not sure if that will help in any way…." Ren said, looking around the table with an unconvinced expression.

"Tch, what is there to share? I already know everything I need to," Motoyasu bragged, leaning back idly in his chair.

"To be honest it would just be a waste of time," Itsuki commented, his chin resting on his clenched hands which were locked in a steeple position.

Were these guys actually being serious?! This was the time where we needed to come together, and instead this lot, Motoyasu and Itsuki in particular, were acting like arrogant dickheads, only focused on what they could get out of it rather than the group as a whole and still treating me like trash, despite the fact that my name had been cleared! I was barely struggling to rein in how pissed I was, especially with the aforementioned two, and whilst I wasn't so angry at Ren, his reluctance to co-operate was still infuriating.

Which is why I decided to get the ball rolling myself. However, since they were being so reluctant and selfish about the whole thing, I wasn't going to make it easy for them.

"Well then, since I seem to be the only Hero who possesses an actual brain and who listened to what the Queen said, I will go ahead and say that I am happy to co-operate and offer up any information I can," I stated calmly, laying my palms flat against the table as I spoke. "However, I will not be giving any information away for free. If you lot want something from me, you're going to have to give me something in return. So get thinking boys, because from where I'm standing, or in this case sitting, you need the help way more than I do unless you want to get left behind, AGAIN."

"Perhaps I should have put things a little more bluntly," the Queen said, picking up where I left off with an expression and tone of the utmost seriousness. "If the three of you," she continued, indicating Motoyasu, Ren and Itsuki, "continue on your current course of action and don't co-operate, then you will not be strong enough to survive the next Wave. In fact, the only one amongst you who has any hope of surviving will be Sir Fergus."

"_Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, bitches!_" I crowed internally to myself as I folded my arms and leant back in my chair, my expression smug upon seeing the astonished looks on the faces of the other Heroes at the Queen's words.

§

"What do you mean by that?!" Motoyasu asked, completely flabbergasted

"Our levels aren't that low surely?" Ren followed up.

"We've done what we had to, how could we not stand a chance?" Itsuki asked flatly, narrowing his eyes at both myself and the Queen. So I decided to remind them of what had happened in the past.

"Well let's rewind the clock a little shall we?" I replied. "Against the second Wave, the first one for us, everything went well with zero problems. But then we come to the third Wave, where you guys struggled to fight off the Wave's minions as well as the Soul Eater. If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have figured out how to summon the boss nor been able to defeat it. And then when Glass showed up after that, you lot got curb-stomped after one attack whilst I struggled to hold her off until her timer ran out. And then finally, our recent battle against the Pope, who was it again who finished him off? Oh yeah, that was me. And for each occurrence, I was at a much lower level than you and apparently didn't know as much as you lot about this world. So in my view, Her Majesty is spot on." I couldn't help smirking at little as they recalled each of the events I had brought up, which they knew were undeniable.

"The only way all four of you have a hope of surviving and fighting back the Waves is to work and fight together, which is why I arranged this conference in order to cultivate that solidarity." The Queen then said, which drew a nod of agreement from me since Fitoria had told me the same thing. However, judging by how things were going, it wasn't going to end well. However, I had made a promise and I intended to see it through.

"Very well then," Itsuki said with a reluctant sigh before pointing a finger in my direction. "But only under the condition that he goes first!"

I turned my gaze towards the Bow-Hero, making sure to hold an uninterested expression. "I don't mind that in the slightest. So then Itsuki, what do you want to know?"

"You and your party are far too strong for your current levels, and I bet that's because of your evil-looking Shield. So why don't you tell us where you got that power?" He asked me with an accusatory tone.

"I'm sorry, come again?" I asked, pretending not to have heard what he had said in order to buy some time for my actual response.

"Don't play dumb with us you bastard!" Itsuki yelled, jumping to his feet and slamming his hands on the table. "Tell us where you met that god or devil who gave you that cheating power!"

"_That's the theory he's going with? Even for him, that's really far-fetched!_" I thought to myself incredulously, but it turns out he wasn't alone with that line of thinking.

"Yeah, and I want to know how you were able to get stronger as a result! That way we can all get stronger!" Motoyasu spoke up.

I then turned to look at Ren, wondering what he had to say on top of this, who let out a sigh before speaking: "If I'm honest, I would like to know these things as well. After all, it doesn't make sense how your Shield is capable of handling the offensive powers we've seen from it."

"_So they still think I'm cheating, despite everything I have done for them and despite the number of times I have saved their asses, and even despite my continued insistence that this isn't a game,_" I bemoaned to myself, putting my head in my hands in a gesture of exasperation. "_Even if I tell them the truth, I know they won't believe me since they are applying game rules to this world, which means that items and weapons triggered by strong emotions don't exist. And yet, on the off chance they possess information I need…it might be the only carrot tempting enough…_"

"Very well then," I said, taking my hands away from my face and leaning back in my seat, putting my hands together with the tips of my fingers barely touching their counterparts in a raised steeple position, to show them all I was the one dictating the terms here.

"It seems I have no choice but to answer your questions," I continued, a smirk forming on my face as I saw them looking at me with eager intent. "However, in asking your questions first, you have put yourselves in the position of wanting to know facts I possess without volunteering information of your own. You have just unintentionally put me in the best bargaining position, one which I, as a shrewd businessman, am not going to waste. So here is my deal: I will tell you what you wish to know, but only after you each provide me with valuable information yourselves. And unless all three of you can give me something of value that I currently do not know, my lips will remain sealed. And like I said before, you seem more desperate for information than I am. So I advise you to take this offer gentlemen, it's the only one you are going to get."

I almost let out a bellowing laugh at seeing the stunned faces of my fellow Heroes, whilst the Queen nodded approvingly at what I was doing. I knew I had them now, and if they were sensible, they would take my offer. Either way though, I was going to be the one coming out on top when all was said and done.

"So…what should we do?" Itsuki asked hesitantly, looking at both Ren and Motoyasu.

"We don't have much of a choice, Fergus has completely outplayed us," Ren replied, folding his arms and leaning back in his seat. "The only thing we can do is go along with it."

"Very well then," Motoyasu said with a sigh that, amazingly, was both reluctant and condescending at the same time. Even I wasn't sure how he managed that as he continued. "I'll keep things simple so that even a dumb brute like you can understand…"

"Lose the condescending tone you bastard, or you aren't getting a thing," I retorted sharply, irritated by his tone. "Don't forget, I was a gamer just as you lot were, and as such, I understand the mechanics and engines behind most of their systems. So stop dragging things out and just tell it as it is."

"Alright fine, have it your way," Motoyasu conceded, having momentarily been caught off-guard by my rebuke. "If you touch the same type of weapon as your Legendary Weapon, you can make a copy of it using the Weapon Copy System."

"He's right, we gained a lot of powerful weapons right at the start using that system," Itsuki said, nodding in agreement.

"And I agree that would be useful, if not for the fact that I already know all about it," I responded, smirking once more as Motoyasu and Itsuki both looked stunned.

"You're lying!" Itsuki instantly accused.

"Am I? Well let me prove you wrong, again," I replied as I got to my feet. Holding out my Shield, I proceeded to call out my Shield of the First Avenger, followed by my Axe-Shield, the Iron Meteorite Shield and the Iron Shield. "There are more where that came from, but those are all a product of the Weapon Copy System," I finished as I retook my seat, returning my Shield to its base form as I did so.

"How on earth did you even figure it out in the first place?" Motoyasu asked incredulously.

"To tell you the truth, it was completely by accident. I found the Shield of the First Avenger in an abandoned mine and leant down to touch it, wishing I could bring it with me even though I knew I couldn't. My Shield had other ideas and scanned it, thus unlocking the skill," I admitted whilst folding my arms and leaning back in my chair. "Unfortunately that means you are out for the time-being Motoyasu, but you will get another shot later on. In the meantime, Ren, do you have anything for me?"

"If you have the required crafting level, you can craft any item by simply feeding the components to your Weapon, and it will craft it automatically for you," he volunteered.

"I see," I considered before nodding. "Now that is something I didn't know since I've been doing all my crafting by hand this entire time. However, I can see the use of such a system if I was in a rush and needed to craft multiple items in a short space of time."

"Wait, you've been crafting things by hand this entire time?" Itsuki asked incredulously with a smattering of condescension in his voice. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I thought I told you lot to drop the smugness. Consider that your last warning," I retorted, glaring at Itsuki. I was really starting to get fed up by all of them treating me as if I were stupid. "Besides, there's more of a sense of accomplishment, at least to me, from crafting something with your own two hands rather than relying on a system to do it for you. I would know after all, I used to put things together by myself a lot back in my world…"

I stopped my rambling, realising I was getting off-topic. "Very well then Ren, you've passed. So then Itsuki, since you apparently know so much, what do you have for me?"

"If you allow your Weapon to absorb some of the sands from the Hourglass, you can unlock a weapon that will allow you to transport to any place that you have designated as a transport location," he explained, giving me a smug look as he did so. "Don't tell me, you didn't know that either? How the hell have you been able to live without all this-?"

I snapped, having completely lost patience with Itsuki's smug tone and body language. "I warned you, you smug bastard!" I yelled, getting to my feet, fully intending to go and smack him a new one. "Let's see if your Bow can save you from getting another broken jaw!"

"That's enough!" The Queen yelled, also getting to her feet as she got in between myself and Itsuki, who had also gotten out of his seat. "Please calm down Sir Fergus, I understand you are angry but now is not the time to lose your temper!" I growled a little but did as she asked, returning to my seat as Itsuki watched on with a continually smug expression, thinking he'd won our little tiff.

The Queen, on the other hand, had other ideas. "As for you Sir Itsuki," she continued, turning her glare on the Bow-Hero. "Either you drop your arrogant tone and behaviour, or I will be forced to not only have you escorted from this room but also prevent you from going to Cal Mira with the other Heroes! If you want to behave like a child instead of a Hero I will treat you like one."

Itsuki stared at the Queen, his eyes wide and his mouth open in astonishment as I quietly chuckled to myself whilst at the same time making a mental note to never, EVER piss her off. The other Heroes, having chosen not to intervene, simply waited for Itsuki to make his decision. The threat of not going to Cal Mira was enough for Itsuki to take his seat once more, his face embarrassed from being scolded.

"Funny thing is you were right Itsuki," I conceded as we all retook our seats. "I didn't know about it. Instead, I've been travelling the world in a cart pulled along by Filo. But do I regret it? Absolutely not, it's been an amazing experience seeing the natural beauty of this world. Although I don't expect any of you to understand that since you were hardcore gamers and all. In fact, I bet you guys barely left your houses…"

I let out another small smile as I saw that my jab had caused the other Heroes to snarl a little. "But seeing as the concept of teleportation was one I wasn't aware of, Itsuki has passed as well, and even though I will continue travelling the world manually, the teleportation skill will still be useful to have in case of an emergency." With that, I turned my gaze back to Motoyasu. "Okay then Spear-boy, we're two for three so far, so let's see if you can make it a complete set."

Motoyasu broke out into a sweat as he struggled to think of anything else, but then suddenly seemed to hit a brainwave when he looked in my direction. "I gotta ask Fergus, that pack I've always seen you carrying around…do you use that for storing your items and such?"

"I do indeed," I replied with a nod.

"So I'm guessing you haven't figured out how to use the Inventory System with your Weapon?" He then proceeded to ask, to which I shook my head. "Well if you look on our Status Menus, you'll find an Inventory System tab, and by linking that system to your Weapon, you can deposit and withdraw items using your Weapon as a portal to do so. For example, say you want to deposit an item, all you have to do is bring up your Inventory System and then place the item you want to deposit next to the Weapon. And if you wanted to withdraw an item, simply bring up the System again and focus on the item you want, and it will come out of your Weapon."

"Hmm, interesting. Alright then, let me give it a test drive." With that, I brought the small package I had picked up from the jewellers out of my pack and brought up the Inventory System in my Status Menu. A pop-up then appeared, asking me if I wanted to link it to my Weapon. I focused on the Accept button as I placed my bag on the green jewel of my Shield, which proceeded to absorb the bag and cause it to show up in the Inventory System menu, along with its contents. "Well that works, thank you for that Motoyasu," I said, nodding at the Spear-Hero. "Very well then, since you have all provided me with some useful information, I will repay the favour."

With that, I leant forward, resting my elbows on the table and putting my fingers in the raised steeple position once more. "So you all want to know how I am so strong despite the fact I am at a much lower level correct?" I asked, getting three nods in response. "Very well then, I'll tell you. The reason I am so strong is something that I have already told you all: I have grinded and grafted for every level I have achieved, unlike you lot, and the reason why my stats are as high as they are is a result of hard work and trying everything possible to get stronger."

I took a breath before continuing. "You all said that you got your most powerful weapons using Weapon Copy correct? Well, I've been feeding every item drop and piece of material that I have acquired into my Shield to see what comes out of it, and in the process have acquired many useful skills as well as multiple stat increases depending on the Shield in question. For example, the Air Strike Shield that you all saw during my duel with Motoyasu? That came from my Rope Shield, which I acquired through absorbing, you guessed it, a piece of rope. And the Shield Prison skill you all saw then as well? That came from my Pipe Shield which I got from absorbing a section of pipe. Are you all seeing the pattern now? As well as those, some of my Shields came from absorbing the corpses or body parts of dead creatures, such as the Bee Needle Shield, the Soul Eater Shield and the Two-Headed Black Dog Shield."

"It can't be that simple surely?" Ren asked me disbelievingly, although I could tell he was interested.

"Pft, I doubt it is. You're hiding something from us, again." Itsuki scoffed.

"Yes, it is that simple, and no, I'm not hiding anything from you," I replied, answering both of them at once. "Just because something appears powerful doesn't mean it will be the best thing to absorb or copy, and only by trying everything possible can you unlock a whole range of powerful abilities like I have. For example, during my last duel with Motoyasu, I was able to drain his mana using the Soul-Eater Shield, nullifying his ability to use any of his skills." Motoyasu scowled as he recalled that as I once more leant back in my chair and folded my arms. "So my advice to you is this: Use your weapons to absorb anything and everything you gather, acquire the abilities from your new weapons and perfect them, and you will not only be much stronger, but more versatile at the same time."

Looking around, I was pleasantly surprised to see the other Heroes seriously considering my advice. However, just as it felt like we were getting somewhere, Itsuki just had to ruin it, again. "That's not what we wanted to know though!" He said angrily. "You told us you were going to spill how you acquired your cheat Shield, and yet you didn't!"

"I have altered the deal. Pray I do not alter it any further," I quoted, resisting the urge to chuckle as I met Itsuki's glare. "I decided that the value of your information only required me to give you information that I deemed was of equal value, which I did. If you want to know anything more, you have to give me something else to compensate."

"Fine then asshole, you want to play it that way?! I'll tell you something I'm sure you don't know!" Itsuki snapped, getting to his feet. "The secret to getting stronger is acquiring the rarest weapons and developing them!"

"Don't lie Itsuki!" Itsuki and I both looked over in disbelief as Ren interrupted his friend. "The key to getting stronger is through weapon proficiency. Through continued use of each weapon until it reaches its maximum potential, you unlock more power."

"You're both wrong!" Motoyasu yelled, leaping to his feet and pointing at both Ren and Itsuki. "What's important is drawing magical power from objects and using it to give unique effects to your weapon through weapon refinement!"

"What are you talking about? I've never heard of such a system!" Ren responded angrily as he got to his feet, staring down the Spear-Hero.

And as all three of them dissolved into pointless arguing about which of their systems was best, I simply closed my eyes and sighed in annoyance, before proceeding to look through the Status Menu's Help guide to see if they were right or not. Seeing nothing of the sort got me thinking about why the other Heroes were so insistent their way of doing things was correct. After all, from the sounds of it, their methods seemed to work for each one of them on an individual basis, so in a way, they were all right.

However, the method I'd been using for strengthening my weapons was one that was completely different, yet at the same time incorporated some of the elements they had been talking about: Each of my Shields had a proficiency bar that filled up every time I used it to block an attack or activated it's special skill, with the bar being higher depending on the rarity of the weapon. Once the bar filled up, the weapon gave me a permanent boost to some of my stats, and since I had filled the proficiency bar of many of my Shields, a lot of my stats have received significant boosts.

"_I wonder though, could that be the end-all, be-all? After all, that refinement method Motoyasu was talking about could upgrade my Shields even more…_" As if it were reading my mind, a message popped up in my Status Menu, telling me that I had unlocked the Weapon Refinement Skill. "_Sweet! Let's see how this works!_" I thought to myself gleefully, changing my Shield's form to the Rope Shield, which was one of the first Shields I had got to maximum proficiency. And alongside its properties were a list of items that, if absorbed into this particular Shield, could unlock further stat boosts!

"_So I got this skill just by believing it could be used? Then I was right! It's not about which System is best, it's whatever system the person believes to be right!_" As I looked up, I could see that the bickering had turned physical as Motoyasu had a grip around Ren's neck whilst Itsuki was trying to break them apart.

Guess it was time for me to break it up, so I proceeded to stand up and give my seat a violent kick, sending it crashing to the floor with a loud bang that caught their attention.

"Now that I have your attention, you can stop your dick measuring contest and listen up, because I believe I have figured out the solution to what you were just arguing about." With that, I proceeded to explain my own system for strengthening my weapons, making sure to nod towards Itsuki and Ren as I referenced their particular methods. "…and since Motoyasu brought up the idea of weapon refinement, I wondered to myself if that could be used to strengthen my own weapons, and just like that, a message appeared in my Status Menu saying I had unlocked the Weapon Refinement Skill, which I can now use to get even stronger! So in the end, it's not about which system is right or wrong, because all of your systems are correct. It's about what you believe is the right method for you individually! If you believe the key is rarity, then you are correct. If you believe proficiency is the way, you are also correct. Or if you believe refinement is the way to go, then you are right. Find a system that works for you, and if you believe it will make you stronger, then it will!"

The other Heroes all stared at me flabbergasted, their argument completely forgotten, as both Mirellia and Melty sighed in relief that the arguing had ended. However, just as I was catching my breath in order to explain about the Shield of Wrath, we were interrupted by a sharp knock at the doors.

"Enter," The Queen commanded, and with that, the doors opened to reveal one of her Shadows.

"Your Majesty, a huge brawl has broken out in the main hall between all of the Heroes' companions, but despite our continued insistence they refuse to stop!" She reported.

"How did this happen?" Melty asked

"From what I observed, the soldier companion of the Bow-Hero continually insulted and provoked the sword-bearing companion of the Shield-Hero until she retaliated, and after that everyone joined in."

"_That bastard! I had a feeling he would be trouble, but going out of his way to deliberately prod and insult Raphtalia? I'll make him pay!_" With those thoughts, I turned to the Queen and Melty and gave a swift bow. "Your Majesty, forgive my rudeness and abruptness, but the health and safety of my companions is my highest priority. Melty, can you come with me as well please?" With those words, I proceeded to dash out of the room and was happy to see that Melty had followed right behind.

However, that didn't stop her from looking confused. "Why are you dragging me along?!" She yelled as she gave chase.

"Because you're the only person who can break up what's going on down there!" I yelled over my shoulder as I started pounding down the stairs, desperately hoping none of my girls was injured or worse. "_Hold on Raphtalia, Filo, Keel…I'm coming!_"

§

What beheld us when we got to the hall was absolute carnage. Tables had been pushed aside, chairs smashed to pieces, bits of food flung all over the place and nearly everyone either struggling to their feet or picking a fight with anyone still standing.

I scanned the room frantically looking for my companions, and saw to my relief Keel standing protectively over Filo off to one side, who was currently chomping away on some food as though nothing was out of place, although whether Keel was protecting Filo from everyone else, or everyone else from Filo in case she was denied her food was another story.

I then looked for Raphtalia and, with a mixture of amusement and alarm, spotted her pinning Itsuki's soldier companion to the ground, her foot firmly planted on his chest and her sword at his neck. And whilst she was covered in bruises and panting heavily, she was still in a better state than her opponent.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" I heard Melty yell out from behind me, and I immediately stepped aside so she could enter the hall. "I am Princess Melty Melromarc, and I am ordering all of you to stop this disgraceful behaviour!" Such was the anger behind her voice that everyone instantly obeyed. "Now, I want you all out of this hall and out of this castle within the next five minutes, or I will have you arrested!"

"Raphtalia! Filo! Keel! To me!" I called out as everyone picked themselves out and started trickling out, some of them having to be supported by their fellows. Thankfully, all of my companions were able to walk on their own two feet. However, Raphtalia was doing so with great difficulty, swaying unsteadily from side to side, and she would have toppled right over if I hadn't dashed forward and supported her.

"Are you hurt?" I asked her with concern as I wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

"I-I'm okay…Master…I just…need a moment…to get my breath back…" She managed to wheeze despite her exhaustion.

"I'm sorry Sir Fergus, we didn't mean to get involved," Keel piped up, her ears drooping. "But that brute just keep insulting you and Raphtalia to her face, and when she couldn't take it any more, she retaliated…and then everyone joined in…"

"I know Keel, I was told what happened on my way here. I'm just glad you are all okay," I replied, giving her hair a reassuring rub, whilst inside I was incredibly touched by what Raphtalia had done as I turned to address Melty. "I need to ask you another favour Melty. Can Filo and Keel stay with you tonight? I need to make sure Raphtalia is okay."

"Of course!" Melty replied, her stern expression giving way to delight at the thought of spending the night with her friend as Filo proceeded to give her a big hug.

"Don't worry Fergus, I'll look after them. We'll see you in the morning okay?" Keel reassured me with a smile and a wink.

"Thanks, Keel," I replied with a thumbs-up, and as Melty led them both towards her quarters I took Raphtalia towards the guest wing. Thankfully, another Shadow appeared shortly afterwards and showed us where we could find a spare room.

§

"Okay Raphtalia, I need you to sit on the bed, then I can have a look at your bruises," I told my demi-human companion as we entered the provided room. Thankfully, she didn't object as I led her over and sat her down on the only bed there.

"I'm really sorry for my behaviour Master Fergus," Raphtalia spoke up with a twinge of sadness. "But I just couldn't stand by as that brute said all those nasty and untrue things about you…"

"I don't blame you in the slightest Raphtalia," I reassured her as I cast some minor healing spells on the worst of her bruises. "After all, there's only so much one can take before they snap, and from the sounds of it that guy was asking for it."

"B-But I…"

"Raphtalia," I said firmly, placing a finger on her lips. "It's okay. In my mind, you did nothing wrong alright?" With that, I proceeded to finish off healing the rest of her bruises. "Sounds like we've both had a rough night eh?"

"I take it that the conference didn't go as well as you'd hoped?" Raphtalia asked sadly.

"Right in one," I replied with a sigh. "The others weren't being co-operative whatsoever and instead tried to keep painting me as the bad guy. I honestly don't know they are all still so bitter at me. After all, I've saved their lives and my name has been cleared of any wrongdoing. But I guess there's no winning with some people so I'll just have to deal with it. However, it wasn't all bad news."

"What do you mean?" She asked me curiously as I sat on the bed next to her, taking her left hand in my right purely on instinct, causing her to blush once more.

"Have you ever heard of Cal Mira?" I asked, to which she shook her head. "Well it's this really nice island that's famous for its holiday resort, and where once every ten years a strange phenomenon occurs there which spawns a lot of monsters, and these monsters provide a huge experience boost when they are vanquished. It's happening imminently and the Queen is sending us all there to level up. So long story short, we're going on a working holiday!"

"That sounds amazing Master Fergus!" She replied, her eyes lighting up for a moment. "And I'm sure Filo and Keel would agree! Speaking of which, why did you ask them to sleep in Melty's room?"

"Because I wanted Filo and Melty to spend some time together, I think they've really been missing each other over the past few days," I replied. "Besides, now that we're here, we can have that talk we've been putting off for a while."

"Oh…I see…" Raphtalia murmured, and with that we fell into an awkward silence, my hand still clasping hers as I struggled to decide how to best approach this. In the end, I decided to go with the blunt approach.

"Raphtalia?" I asked her, as her face turned to look at me I was once again struck by just how beautiful she was. Even in the darkness of the room and despite the dishevelled state her face was in, she still looked the physical embodiment of an angel, causing my tongue to tie-up for a few seconds before I continued. "How long have you been in love with me?"

Her face instantly went red, her body started trembling and her tail started swishing back and forth all at once as she initially struggled to answer me. "W-What d-do you mean Master Fergus?" She eventually asked, turning her face away from me in utter embarrassment.

"I'm not completely ignorant Raphtalia," I said gently so as not to upset her any further. "I've noticed the way you look at me, and the way you blush and your tail gets all excited whenever I touch or compliment you. And most of all, you've let slip that fact at least once or twice. You're more obvious than you let on."

She blushed red even more, if that were even possible, as she attempted to get her shakes under control before turning to look at me once more, an embarrassed expression on her face. "I've been in love with you ever since your duel with Sir Motoyasu. You've been so nice to me, ever since we first met each other. You looked after me and gave me food, medicine, a roof over my head, the means to defend myself and a reason to live and to fight. You comforted me after my nightmares and gave me the strength to not only overcome them but to also open up and confront my past. Not only that, but you are the most amazing man I have ever known. You are kind, brave, loyal, protective, just and very….h-handsome," she admitted with a blush before continuing. "You always help out those in need and defend those who cannot defend themselves. And whilst you do get angry at times, it is not unjust. You only do so when you are provoked beyond any reasonable means or when your friends are in danger, and you only resort to violence when it is to defend those you care about. And on top of that, you've done so much for me, for Keel, for Rifana, and for my people in general, and have promised to see our home restored. And because you have never broken a promise, you have given me so much hope that that day will come!"

With that, she reached over and grabbed my other hand, giving them both a firm squeeze as she brought them to her lap. "How could any girl not fall in love with you after all you have done for me?" She cried, her eyes shining with tears. "I've-I've always wanted to tell you but…I wasn't sure if you ever felt the same way…and I know there's a real chance you might go back to your own world once the Waves are finished…so I kept them to myself so I didn't get hurt…"

"Raphtalia…" I said, completely stunned. Even though I was aware of her feelings for me, I was still floored by her words. And looking into her eyes and seeing her expression, I knew she had meant every word she said. "I…I don't know what to say…I really don't deserve all those nice things you've said about me…I flung you right into the deep end from our very first meeting, and brought you nothing but hardship ever since…"

"Don't say that Master Fergus!" She interrupted me, tears falling from her eyes as she let go of my hands to take my face in them instead, forcing me to look at her directly in the eyes. "Nothing of what happened to you was your fault, so don't blame yourself for that! And besides, no matter the hard times we have been through, I have never before had a more fulfilling purpose in my life than being at your side. In being the Sword of the great Shield-Hero as he protected the world from the Waves. And in being his best friend and companion at a time when no-one else was willing…"

"I-" I wanted to say something but was interrupted by Raphtalia putting a finger to my lips.

"Do you remember what we swore to each other on that night in the arena? We swore to be at each other's side forever. Everywhere you go, I will go with you. And whatever this life throws at us, we'll face it together."

Right there and then, the remnants of whatever hesitation I was holding onto were shattered as all I could focus on, at this moment in time, was Raphtalia's face. The small demi-human girl who had turned into an incredibly strong and beautiful woman during the time we had spent together, my faithful companion and whose sweetness and kindness had saved me from falling into despair many times. And as I looked into her beautiful red eyes, I saw them staring back at me with the same loving and caring expression they had always borne.

And so with that, I reached forward and took her face between my hands and, with one last look into her eyes and with a smile on my face, leant forward and captured her lips with mine, pulling her into a sweet and loving kiss. Her eyes widened for a brief moment in shock at my unexpected move, before she responded with equal passion, wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me in as she proceeded to deepen our kiss, the many months of hidden feelings and needless barriers fading away as we held the kiss for a long time before finally separating.

"M-M-Master F-F-Fergus…?" She asked, breathing heavily, whilst out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her tail had spiked completely as we had kissed.

"You've stayed by me through thick and thin, and stuck up for me when no-one else would," I confessed with a smile, wiping at her eyes with my fingers as tears started to fall. "You are the most amazing, strong and beautiful person I have ever met, my best friend, my Sword, and the woman I love with all my heart. Whatever comes, I want to be with you forever, and I want you to be with me. I love you so much, and I always will…"

Now it was her turn to kiss me, her lips feverishly locking again with mine as she cut me off. "You-have-no idea-how long-I've wanted-to hear-those words-from you," she said in between her kisses, leaving me no time to interrupt or say anything back. But honestly, because of what she was doing, I didn't mind whatsoever.

Eventually, she broke away for a short while to string together a sentence, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight that shone through the windows of our room. "I was so worried that you were never going to feel the same way. You've made me so happy Fergus, the happiest I've ever been in my life! So thank you for that, and I love you with all my heart, now until the end of time!" With that, she pressed her lips to mine once again in a passionate kiss.

"And I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy, and making all of your dreams come true," I replied as we separated, which allowed me to raise a hand and softly caress her cheek.

This caused her to shed more tears, though I knew they were tears of happiness rather than despair as she leaned into my touch. "You already have…I couldn't ask for anything more than this…to be loved by the wonderful Shield-Hero, the man I love and whose side I will never leave…"

Just hearing those words made my heart beat even faster, and once more I uttered a silent 'thank you' to whatever powers existed that had brought me into this world and had allowed me to meet the love of my life. "Well then, since we are a couple now, how about I treat you to a holiday on an exotic island?" I proposed to her with a beaming smile

"Yes! I will go anywhere as long as I am with you!" She cried joyfully, moving from my side to straddle my lap, her arms wrapped around me as she proceeded to look into my eyes with an expression of the utmost love and devotion "Now shut up and kiss me before I lose control of myself!"

"Gladly," I responded instantly as I wrapped my arms around her once more, hugging her tightly into me as our lips met in another passionate kiss.

And later that night, as we cuddled together under the sheets and looked into each other's eyes lovingly in between our kisses, I wondered why I had been so hesitant with admitting my feelings…

**Not much to say here. I know this was long, but I really wanted to get everything I wanted into this chapter. Writing the end of this chapter put me in a very good and emotional mood. Finally, Fergus and Raphtalia get together, and it went exactly as I wanted it! **

**And of course the absence of that red-haired witch we all love to hate changed things a little as well as Fergus' way of handling things with the other Heroes. Oh, and before anyone asks, there will be no lemons or graphic descriptions of love-making. That's not my style.**

**The last scene was inspired by "The Hardest Choice" by Allen Blaster, and listening to Atashi ga Tonari ni Iru Uchi ni by Chiai Fujikawa, the 2****nd**** Ending for Rising of the Shield Hero, really helped me to feel the emotion of it as well. The Council scene took inspiration from "For A Price" by Danny vs A Month. Go and show both of those stories some love.**

**Next time, Cal Mira awaits! Once again, thank you for all the love you have shown this story. Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you in the next one! **


	30. Ch 28 - The Road to Cal Mira

**It's been very humbling and heart-warming for me to see so many people enjoying and keeping up with my story, but even more so to hear that I've inspired other people to start writing their own stories. And as such, I've got to give a massive shout-out to a fellow author of mine on this site by the name of OverlordDracoLucifer, who through my story has been inspired to start his own Shield-Hero fanfiction, "The Demon Lord of the Shield", which I would highly recommend everyone check out. Even though it's just the first chapter for now, it's all set up to be a very intriguing story and I cannot wait to see where it goes.**

**With that being said, I have to once more thank everyone for all of the love they have shown my story. Every follow, favourite and review is greatly appreciated and only strengthens my resolve to keep going with this story and every fic I write hereafter.**

**So with all of that out of the way, here is the next chapter of Rise of a True Shield Hero. Cal Mira awaits our party but there are a few things they need to do before they get there. Slight warning that there is a frisky scene right at the end, but it's nothing too mature so it should be safe for everyone to read. As always, the mandatory disclaimer that I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 28 - The Road to Cal Mira

I slowly came back to the world of the living, having awoken from one of the most peaceful nights of sleep I had ever known in my entire life. It only took a second for me to remember what had happened the previous night, the memories of which brought a smile to my face: Raphtalia had confessed her feelings for me which I had returned by confessing my own feelings for her, after which we had shared our first kiss, the first of many that night. And after undressing into our night clothes we had spent a few hours cuddling and enjoying the feeling of being intimate with one another before falling asleep.

"You're awake…" I heard her softly whisper, and as I looked over to my left I saw her lying on her side, her beautiful red eyes watching me fondly as I came to.

"Hey…" I whispered as I sat up and leant over, capturing her lips in mine once again as I reached over and pulled her into me. She didn't resist, moving her body over so that it was right next to mine as we made out passionately for a short while.

"I take it you were watching me sleep?" I asked as we finally separated, leaning back against the headboard as she snuggled into my side, resting her head on my shoulder as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pressed her into me even more.

"I was. It made me so happy to see you resting peacefully, I just couldn't help myself".

"I know I've said this a few times in the past, but I am certain now that this was the best night's sleep I have had since I was summoned here, and I think I know exactly the reason why." With those words, I kissed the top of her head lovingly, to which she responded by turning her face up so that our lips met once again.

"When I woke up this morning, I was scared at first, that last night was just a dream," she said after we separated, smiling at me lovingly once more. "But then I woke up in your arms, and that reminded me that this was real. That you had told me you loved me…"

"...After you had told me that you had loved me for a long time," I replied as I caressed her cheek softly. "And then we kissed and kissed many more times. And then we cuddled until we fell asleep. This is definitely real Raphtalia, and I am so glad it is…"

"So am I…" With that, she pressed her lips to mine again for a few seconds. "And I am so happy. I don't think I've ever been so happy before."

"Me neither," I replied as I proceeded to take her hands in mine and hold them as I sat up and faced her. "Raphtalia…there's something I think you deserve to hear…"

"What is it, Fergus?" She replied worriedly

"There have been a few moments during my time in this world where I have found myself wondering if, when I went to sleep, I would wake up back in my own world and find out that this whole experience had been nothing but a dream," I admitted. "And there were times, especially near the start when I was at my lowest, where I really thought I was living a nightmare, where I wished that I could wake up back in my old world. But after everything I have experienced here, and through everything I've lived through, I've come to realise something."

I then proceeded to look her directly in the eyes as I continued speaking. "If I was given the option to go back, to forget everything that has happened to me here, I wouldn't take it. Not in a million years. Despite the hardships I have been through, despite everything that has happened to me, I feel like this is my home now. I have gained so much during my time here and learnt so many things. And not only that, I have people who rely on me that I cannot let down, and those who are very dear to me who I could not imagine being apart from. And then there is you…" With that, I leant over and rested my hand against her cheek once more. "You have been beside me through everything, and the thought of ever being apart from you pains me. My place is here, as the Shield-Hero, and with you, the love of my life."

"Fergus…" She looked completely stunned for words. "I-I know it's wrong of me to be selfish, but I am so happy to hear you say that you will stay with me, with all of us, and my heart flutters every time you tell me you love me. But…won't you miss them, your family and the people back in your old world?"

"I do miss them, and I will always carry the memories of my time with them in my heart…" I replied, having come to terms with that fact myself only a short while ago. "But I have a family here too, as well as friends who I care about a great deal, along with a world and it's people that I have to defend. I have Filo, the Filolial who I raised from birth who I feel like a father to. I have Keel, a reliable friend who I know I count on to have my back. Then there's Melty who I regard as extended family that, whilst she may not always be with us, will always be on my side. And then there's you…" I proceeded to reach over and wrap my arms around her, cuddling her into my chest once more, a move she didn't resist. "You are my best friend, my girlfriend, and the woman I love. And that…is all I needed to realise that this is my home now, more specifically that my home is with you…"

"I understand how you feel…you may not realise it yet, but I do…" she said as she rested against my chest. "I had so many good memories I was living in my village, with my parents, my friends, with Keel and Rifana and the rest of my people. I was so happy then, and I had everything I ever wanted. But then it was all taken away from me. I lost my family and my home, and was taken prisoner and tortured by that monster Rabier, and then sold to that slave trader. But despite all of that, I couldn't imagine ever waking up and hoping it had all been just dreams and nightmares ."

She then lifted her head out of my chest and looked at me once again. "Because ever since you came into my life, I have had so many good experiences, and learnt so much. Travelling alongside you, fighting with you, just being at your side has made me the happiest I have ever been in my life. And now…knowing that you love me as much as I love you, and that we are going to be together forever…I am so glad I went through it all, even the hard times, because it has led me to you, and there is nowhere else I would rather be."

Just hearing those words made my heart flutter once more, and reminded me of the many things I loved about her. Not only was she beautiful, kind, caring and sweet, but she was the strongest person I had ever met. To have gone through what she had been through, something that nobody so innocent deserved to suffer though, and come out the other side the way she had…honestly, I don't think I could have gone through what she did and come out with my sanity…

"Raphtalia…" I said as we looked into each other's eyes once more. "You really are the strongest and most amazing person I have ever known…and I will never get tired of saying that I love you."

"And I will never get tired of hearing you say that. And I love you too, so very much." She then pulled me into another long and passionate kiss.

"Hey Raphtalia, can you close your eyes for a minute? I've got a small surprise for you." I asked once we separated. She looked a bit confused at my request but complied as I proceeded to scroll through my Status Menu to the Inventory System and focused on the bag I had put in there yesterday. As I did this, my Shield, which had turned itself into a small bracelet with a green gem in the middle so that I could more easily cuddle Raphtalia, glowed as the bag appeared above it. I then grabbed the bag and, opening it, withdrew the contents inside.

"Can I open my eyes yet Fergus?" Raphtalia asked, her eyes still squeezed shut.

"Not yet, just be a little more patient." With those words, I leant over and clasped my gift for her around her neck as well as my own gift around my own neck. "Okay, you can look now."

Raphtalia opened her eyes, looking a bit confused at first, but then must have felt the small weight around her neck as she proceeded to take hold of my gift, and her eyes instantly swam with tears at what she saw. For around her neck was a leather cord with a small steel clasp keeping it together, and from which dangled a small emerald gem. "It-It's so beautiful! I love it!"

"I'm so glad you like it, and that's not the only thing," I replied, delighted beyond all measure at her reaction as I took hold of my own gift and held it out for her to see. Mine was made just like hers except for the fact that my gem was a ruby instead of an emerald. "These will be the symbols of the love we bear for another. That emerald you wear will remind you of the love I bear for you, whilst the ruby will remind me of the love you bear for me."

"Oh Fergus, that's so thoughtful and sweet of you! " Raphtalia sobbed, tears cascading from her eyes like waterfalls. "How long have you had these?"

"I got them ordered after the trial, and picked them up yesterday," I replied, scratching my head awkwardly. "You know when I went into the jewellers and told you it was for a crafting recipe? It was actually for these, but I didn't want you knowing until now. I'm sorry for lying to you…"

"Don't be silly Fergus!" She cried, wiping the tears from her eyes as she embraced me once again. "I absolutely love it, and I will treasure it, and you, for the rest of my life! Thank you so much, I love you!"

"I love you too Raphtalia, and you are my treasure, now until the end of my days," I replied as I hugged her back tightly. She then pulled her head back, looking at me with an expression of the utmost love before kissing me fiercely.

I didn't need any encouragement as I responded to her kiss with equal ferocity, and for a while after that no words passed between us as we continued our feverish make-out session, only stopping to come up for air between kisses during which we would gaze fondly into each other's eyes and press our foreheads together before resuming.

I would have happily carried on doing this all morning, as I'm sure Raphtalia would've as well. Unfortunately, our moment of passion was interrupted by a loud knock at our door, which caused us to break apart instantly.

"Fergus! Raphtalia! My mother wishes to speak with you all at once, so come down to the throne room as soon as possible!" Melty's voice called out from the other side of the door.

"Duty calls I'm afraid," I reluctantly sighed before giving Raphtalia one final lingering kiss. "But we should definitely do that again some time…"

"I would like that very much…" Raphtalia replied breathlessly, her face flushing crimson as she did so. With that, we turned our backs to one another as we proceeded to get changed into our regular clothes. Once I was fully dressed my Shield changed back into its original shape as I walked towards the bedroom door and reached out a hand for Raphtalia, which she proceeded to take as we left the room.

§

As we approached the throne room doors, we spotted Keel and Filo waiting for us.

"Good morning Master! Good morning Raphtalia!" Filo called out enthusiastically with a wave.

"Good morning you two, did you both sleep well?" I asked them, waving back at Filo.

"We did thank you, how about the two of you?" Keel asked, though there was a small smirk on her face as she saw us holding hands.

"Um…yes…very well, thank you, Keel," Raphtalia muttered, blushing furiously.

"Something you want to tell us?" Keel asked, her grin only widening.

"Well I guess there's no point in hiding it," I replied, looking down at Raphtalia with a smile, who upon looking back at me lost whatever embarrassment she was holding onto and smiled as we turned to face our friends once more. "Last night, Raphtalia and I both confessed how we felt about the other and…long story short, we're a couple now."

"That's amazing news! I knew it would happen eventually!" Keel cried out happily, giving me a hug. As I returned it, I noticed Filo hadn't taken our news well and was looking downcast.

"What's the matter, Filo?" I asked her gently, going over to her as Keel gave Raphtalia a congratulatory hug of her own.

"You and Raphtalia are going to be kissing and making lovey faces at each other all the time and won't pay any attention to me," Filo moaned quietly, nearly on the verge of tears. "You're not going to stroke my hair or brush my feathers or show me any love any more!"

"That's not going to happen Filo," I reassured her firmly yet gently as I knelt and put my hands on her shoulders. "You are right in one respect, I will be showing Raphtalia a lot more affection since she is now my girlfriend, but that doesn't mean I will forget about you, or Keel for that matter. I will keep showing you the same care and attention I have always done."

"Do you promise Master?" Filo asked hopefully.

"I promise."

"As do I," Raphtalia spoke up as she knelt alongside me and gave Filo a warm smile.

Filo looked over at Raphtalia, and I could tell she was incredibly touched by not only my promise but Raphtalia's as well. "Then congratulations Master and Raphtalia!" She cried happily, nearly knocking us over as she hugged us enthusiastically, a hug which Keel also joined in, wrapping her arms around all three of us.

We held the hug for a short while before we broke apart, taking a moment to recompose ourselves before entering the throne room. I was surprised and slightly alarmed to see it was just the Queen and Melty waiting for us again, having expected the other Heroes to be here as well so that we could all set off for Cal Mira together.

"Where are the others, Your Majesty?" I asked after we had exchanged our usual pleasantries.

The Queen sighed before responding. "The other Heroes left the palace very early this morning. I believe they intended to get to Cal Mira without waiting for you and get a head-start."

"Bastards…" I replied, wanting to tear my hair out in frustration. "You would think they would have learnt the value of working together after yesterday's talks, but apparently I gave them too much credit…"

"Unfortunately for them, the boat is scheduled to depart in 24 hours and not a moment before, which means they'll be waiting a long time," the Queen smirked, giving me a conspiratorial wink in the process. "So as long as you and your party arrive at the harbour before the ship leaves, you can take as long as you like to get there. However, I would advise you not to tarry too much, since the harbour is far from here."

"I see no harm in making them wait a while, might teach them the value of patience."

"Are you going to join us, Mel?" Filo asked with a look at her friend.

"I can't I'm afraid Filo. I need to stay and fulfil my royal duties," Melty replied with a shake of her head, although judging from her sad expression I'm sure she wished she could come with us.

"Before I forget Shield-Hero, here is the reward we agreed upon," the Queen said, producing a sack of coins from the small table next to her. "Melty my dear, would you?"

"Of course," Melty replied, taking the sack of coins from her mother and bringing them to me. Having caught the hidden meaning behind her words, I took the sack without complaint and put it in my pack.

"I also have one more surprise for you which Melty will show you. With that, I wish you all good luck, and I hope you have a productive time on Cal Mira," the Queen finished with a polite bow, which we all reciprocated before following Melty out of the throne room.

"What do you think she wants to show us?" Raphtalia whispered to me as we followed Melty down the stairs leading to the main doors of the palace.

"I'm not sure, guess we'll have to find out," I replied, just as clueless.

It turned out the surprise waiting for us in the palace courtyard was a cart. But upon further inspection, we saw that it wasn't just any cart, it was the exact same cart Filo had been pulling for us ever since Lute Village, and which we had to abandon whilst on the run! Filo was absolutely ecstatic, running up and fawning all over it as though greeting a dear friend she hadn't seen for so long, much to both Keel and Raphtalia's amusement as they too smiled at what we saw.

"How did you manage to find it?" I asked Melty after getting over my initial shock.

"A promise is a promise, and we all promised Filo we'd get that cart back for her," Melty replied, smiling at Filo's behaviour. "As soon as we got back to the capital after our fight against the Pope, I arranged for some of my guards to recover it and bring it back."

She then turned and gave me a determined look. "I want you to do your very best on Cal Mira so that you can level up and get stronger. You are our best hope for saving the world from the Waves." She then turned to look at Raphtalia, giving her a warm smile. "Look after him for me Raphtalia, and congratulations on becoming a couple."

"Thank you Mel, and I will," Raphtalia replied, blushing a little at her words.

"We'll do our very best," I assured her with a polite bow, not even bothering to ask how she knew what had happened last night.

"MEL!" Filo bolted over and leapt at Mel, wrapping her in a tight hug as they both proceeded to share a tearful goodbye, with a promise of seeing each other again very soon.

After saying our final goodbyes to Melty, we hitched Filo up to the cart and set off, our first stop being the Cathedral where I absorbed some of the sands from the Dragon Hourglass, unlocking the Portal Shield in the process. After figuring out how to set a location we could teleport to, I designated both the Hourglass and the castle courtyard as transport areas, although with the castle courtyard we had to physically return there so I could set it up as a transport location.

After that, we made one final stop at a general store, where we each proceeded to pick up any holiday supplies we thought we would need, including towels, swimwear and other such necessities. After that, we made our way out of the capital, and after consulting a map proceeded to hit the road once more.

§

Filo was absolutely ecstatic about being on the road once again, and pulling her old cart was the cherry on top of the cake for her. As a result, I felt that I had to calm her down a little and have her set a steady pace so as not to aggravate Raphtalia's travel sickness. As I was doing so, Keel asked whether she could have a go at holding Filo's reins. Since that meant I could spend some time with Raphtalia, I agreed and proceeded to sit in the back of the cart next to Raphtalia, who immediately cuddled up into my side and stayed there as we travelled. Seeing as she was content, I passed the time by transferring my items from my bag to my Weapon's Inventory System.

We made a quick stop for lunch, during which Filo asked if I could brush her hair. Remembering my promise to her earlier, I agreed, and whilst I was doing so Keel struck up a conversation with Raphtalia to keep her occupied.

After our lunch break, we hit the road once more, Filo once again keeping a steady pace which would ensure that we arrived at the harbour in plenty of time. As the sun was setting, during which time I was holding Filo's reins to give Keel a break, Raphtalia joined me at the front of the cart, our map in her hands.

"Fergus, can I ask you a favour?" She asked me hesitantly.

"Absolutely, what do you need?" I replied, smiling at her.

"It's just…my old village, or what's left of it, is on our travel route. I was wondering if we could go there and…give Rifana a proper burial…"

"Of course we can," I replied instantly, remembering my promise to both of my demi-human friends. And as Raphtalia gave me a grateful hug and kiss on the cheek, I told Filo about our change of plans.

After another few minutes of travelling, the road we were on turned towards a nearby valley. Following this road, we passed through the border of what had once been Rurorona Village, and as we entered what remained of the village proper, we all let out a horrified gasp at what we saw.

Not a single building had been spared the devastation of both the Wave and the knights who had ransacked the village. Some of them had been wiped out entirely, only their foundations remaining, whilst whatever ones were still standing were missing parts of either their roofs and walls and from within their ruins vegetation was growing. And it was so quiet, not a soul was to be seen or heard where once I imagined it had been so full of life.

I quietly told Filo to pull up the cart in a safe location, and without a word we all got down from the cart and proceeded to silently look amongst the ruins, none of us saying a word as we were all too busy with our own thoughts, comprehending the magnitude of what exactly had happened here. And it took us quite a while, as apart from the main area of the village there were ruins dotting the edge of the valley as well, which made me realise just how many people had lived here, who had had their homes devastated and taken away through no fault of their own.

"_This doesn't feel right, not at all…_" I found myself thinking as approached the centre of the village, walking up the pathway that was still intact towards the biggest ruin in the whole village, the remains of what I imagined to be the village hall. "_For a whole village of innocent people, many of whom were children, to lose their homes in the way they did…it's unfair. They didn't deserve any of this, and I am going to make this right, no matter what it takes…_"

I looked over to see how my companions were doing and was saddened, yet unsurprised, to see both Raphtalia and Keel struggling to keep themselves together. Raphtalia, in particular, looked as though she was on the verge of tears, her whole body trembling as she took in everything. Without a word, I moved over and wrapped my arm around her shoulders comfortingly, which caused her to wrap her arms around my chest and bury her head into it. As I moved to embrace her fully, I heard the muffled sounds of her crying and stroked her hair soothingly in response, noting with approval that Filo, now in her human form, had taken Keel's hand and was squeezing it gently, which I'm sure was giving her some comfort.

"_I promise, right here and now, that I will do whatever it takes to see this village rebuilt and return the people who once lived here to their rightful homes._" I silently vowed to myself as I continued to comfort my girlfriend.

After Raphtalia and Keel had recovered, I asked them quietly if they wanted to choose a spot to bury Rifana. They nodded and, as we walked up towards the cliffs that overlooked the sea, they chose a spot near the edge as Rifana's burial site. We then proceeded to quietly and respectfully dig up the area around it, and after making a sizeable hole I brought out Rifana's remains and carefully arranged them in the grave we had made, after which we proceeded to cover it up with the discarded earth and marked the spot where the grave was with a small chunk of rock, which we surrounded with a ring of small pebbles that Filo had gathered from a nearby beach.

Once this was all done, we all knelt silently in front of the grave as we each all paid our final respects and goodbyes to Rifana. Both Raphtalia and Keel had their hands clasped together in prayer, I had my head bowed and Filo simply knelt in silence as we all, within the quiet of our hearts, said what we needed to.

"_Rifana…_" I said to myself. "_I may not have known you at all, but Raphtalia told me how wonderful you were, how you always kept her spirits up, and about your unwavering conviction that you would all see your home rebuilt one day, right up until your final moments. I am sorry that we couldn't arrive in time to save you, but we have brought you home to rest in the place you belong. I know your memory will live on in the hearts of Raphtalia, Keel and all those who knew you, and I swear on my life that I will see your dream realised. This village will be rebuilt, just as it once was, and we will make it a place you would've been proud of. May you rest in peace._" With that, I got to my feet, the others doing the same after they had made their vows, and standing side-by-side we silently looked upon her grave one more time…

We then heard a soft voice make a similar vow. "The survivors from this village are currently scattered throughout the lands, with no place to call their own. It is about time that they returned to where they belonged, and I vow to help make that dream a reality." As we all turned around we saw the familiar form of Van Reichnott standing not far from us, his hands too clasped as if he were in prayer.

We all let out a smile as we approached him. "It's good to see you Van Reichnott. What are you doing here?" I asked, shaking his hand.

"Her Majesty got in contact with me, asking me to come and assess the damage to the village and what must be done to make this village inhabitable again," he replied as he shook everyone's hands.

As Keel struck up a conversation with him, asking him how the other demi-humans we had rescued were doing, I noticed that Raphtalia's attention was elsewhere. Looking over in the direction she was currently gazing, I saw another burial site not too far away from where we had buried Rifana, and judging by the tears that were now falling from her eyes, I had an inkling as to who was buried there. "Raphtalia…is that-?"

"Yes, that's where my parents are buried," she replied quietly before I could finish as she turned to look at me with a pleading expression. "Can-Can I go and talk to them…please?"

"Of course. Would you like me to come as well? I would very much like to pay my respects to your parents."

She gave me a warm smile, her eyes still sparkling with tears. "I would like that. Very much."

With that, we left Filo and Keel talking to Van Reichnott and made our way over to the spot where Raphtalia's parents had been buried. She went up and knelt in front of the graves, hands clasped once more in a praying motion as I knelt a respectful distance away, my head bowed and my heart silently breaking as I heard Raphtalia talk about everything she had been up to ever since meeting the Shield-Hero and all the adventures she had been on ever since…

"...Mum, Dad, I so wish you could have met him…he is the most amazing man I have ever known, and I love him so much. And whilst it breaks my heart that you never got the chance to know him, I know you would be so happy for us that we are together…" I heard her say, and I couldn't help but smile at her words. I made my own silent vow to them that I would protect Raphtalia with my life, and love her with my whole heart.

Eventually, Raphtalia stood up and, giving the burial site one last look, she turned to face me. And as I stood up, I saw that despite her tears, she was smiling as she walked over to me. I opened my arms and she fell into my chest as we embraced each other once more. For a short time, we just stood there silently, taking comfort in each other's arms.

"Thank you, Fergus, for allowing me to come here…to say goodbye…" She finally whispered. "And thank you…for everything you have done for me…" With those words, she titled her head up and gave me a small peck on the lips.

"I know that wherever your parents are right now, they are happy and at peace," I replied as we turned to face the grave one more time, my arm around her shoulders. "And I know they would be so proud of the woman you've become…"

She nodded as snuggled into my side once more, staying like that for a short while before returning to where the rest of our party was. Even though Van Reichnott had already left, both Filo and Keel seemed content making small talk with one another. I was just about to greet them when out of the corner of my eye I noticed two more people approaching us, and as I turned to face them I saw that they were a man and a woman, both looking as though they were in their late twenties.

"Hey, do you guys live around here?" The man asked. He had spiked red hair and was currently clad in a sleeveless red and brown vest with a collared neck, which helped show off a fair amount of muscle in his arms. He also wore brown gloves and had a strange looking tattoo on his upper left arm, and when he spoke his tone seemed almost carefree and laid-back.

"We don't, we were just passing through to pay our respects to the friends and family that my companions have lost," I replied gravely.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. For what it's worth, allow us to express our condolences for those you have lost," he replied hastily, his face falling slightly as his companion walked up beside him. She had long braided blue hair which moved about like a wave as she came to stand by him, and was clad in a dress which was woven in a multitude of colours, with a padded brown vest protecting her chest.

"Thank you for your kind words," Raphtalia replied with a polite curtsy. Keel didn't say anything but instead gave a polite bow of gratitude.

The man waved it off as he looked at the ruins around us, a sigh escaping his lips. "It's really sad y'know. I bet this place used to be really nice, but now look at it…nothing but rubble…"

"It won't be like this forever," I replied firmly, which caused both of them to look at me with puzzled expressions. "After all, I've promised myself, and many others I care about, that I'd see this place go back to the way it used to be, no matter what it takes." I felt Raphtalia take my hand and give it an affectionate squeeze.

Neither of the strangers responded for a moment until eventually, the man's face cracked into a smile. "And how do you plan on doing that? With your own two hands?" He asked cheekily

"I have my ways," I responded with a smile, which caused the man to chuckle.

"I won't ask, but I can tell you're determined. In that case, I wish you the best of luck kiddo."

"Who are you calling kiddo? I'm 22, soon to be 23," I jokingly pouted

"Sorry, I just get used to calling people who look younger than me kiddo," he replied in the same teasing tone.

"L'Arc, it's time for us to go," his companion spoke up, tugging on his arm.

"Yeah, guess we'd better move on, we have things to do," he sighed as they both turned around and started to leave, but not before giving us a wave of departure. "Cya!"

"Interesting pair there…" I murmured as we watched them leave with a goodbye wave of our own.

"Did you manage to catch their names at all?" Raphtalia asked.

"I think I heard her calling him Arc or something, but I didn't hear it properly so I'm not sure," I admitted as I turned around to face them all. "Since it's getting late, I suggest we find a place nearby to make camp and travel the rest of the way to the harbour tomorrow morning. Sound good?"

My suggestion was readily accepted by all three of them, and so we made our way back to the cart and proceeded to do exactly that. After we had made camp, we had a quick dinner and then turned in early so that we were all rested for tomorrow. With Filo situating herself by the fire and Keel curled up in a sleeping bag nearby, Raphtalia and I proceeded to curl up underneath a blanket in the back of the cart, where once more we kissed, cuddled and fell asleep in each other's arms.

§

We all woke up early the following morning, and after a quick breakfast we set off once more towards our destination.

We eventually arrived at a small harbour town where the ship we were due to travel on was waiting for us, and after a quick stop to make sure that our cart would be looked after properly, we made our way over to the boat. As we drew near, I saw that today's sailing had attracted quite a crowd, no doubt fellow adventurers who were going to the island for the same reasons we were. Amongst them of course were the other Heroes and their parties who turned to look our way as we approached.

"I see you finally made it," Ren commented

"What the hell took you so long? We've been waiting here for ages!" Itsuki called out irritably.

"There was no rush so we decided to take our time and enjoy the sights," I replied, shooting Itsuki a glare as I spoke. "You lot would have realised that if you'd waited for the Queen to tell you what was going on, so don't go blaming me for your bull-headedness."

"Tell me something Fergus, why are you and Raphtalia wandering around holding hands like that?" Motoyasu asked irritably, having noticed our hands tightly clasped as we approached. "Don't tell me you've forced the poor girl to…"

"I would be very careful with your next choice of words there Motoyasu," I reprimanded him with a glare as both Filo and Keel let out a snarl, having guessed what he was about to say. "I haven't forced Raphtalia to do anything. The truth of the matter is that we are in love, we want to be together and we're going to stay that way, whether you like it or not. So don't take your irritation out on us just because you don't have your lying skank with you."

"Fergus is right," Raphtalia added, squeezing my hand affectionately which I reciprocated. "And I couldn't be any happier than being with the Shield-Hero, the man I love."

Motoyasu looked as though he was about to object further, but was interrupted by Filo this time. "Stop talking bad about Master and Raphtalia, or I will kick you again!" Her threat was enough to shut him up right away. Thankfully, Ren and Itsuki had chosen not to comment.

"The ship to the Cal Mira Archipelago is ready to leave! Would all passengers please make their way on board!" Came the announcement from above us, and with that, we all made up way up the ramp onto the deck of the ship where the captain, having picked me out in the crowd, made his way over.

"You are the Shield-Hero and his party correct?" He asked.

"That would be us. Is there anything you need?" I replied.

"Unfortunately, the other Heroes and their parties took all of the best rooms that had been set aside for the Heroes' use," he apologised as he led us down the steps towards the cabins. "That means you will have to share with some of the other passengers who are travelling with us, for which you have my sincerest apologies."

"That's absolutely fine. All that matters is that we have somewhere to rest our heads." My words drew three accompanying nods from my companions.

"Thank you for your understanding. Unfortunately the room you'll be using only has two bunks, so you'll have to share the four beds with the other two passengers who are already there," the captain proceeded to say before stopping in front of one of the rooms and giving it a knock. "Excuse me, are we okay to come in?" He addressed those on the other side.

"Of course! Come right in!" A very familiar voice replied. "_Hang on a minute…is that?_"

As the captain opened the door and we got a look at the room's current occupants, I realised why the voice had sounded familiar, for staring back at the four of us were the same red-haired man and his blue-haired companion who we had run into back at Rurorona Village!

"These are the folks who you'll be sharing with. I'll leave so you can all introduce yourselves." None of us reacted to the captain's words as he departed, as we were all too busy looking at one another with expressions of utter disbelief.

§

"Well, who'd have thought it? The same group of people we ran into yesterday are now our cabin-mates!" The red-haired man spoke first, his face cracking into a smile.

"You're telling me, this is a welcome surprise. Somewhat coincidental, but welcome all the same," I replied as we all exchanged handshakes.

"It will be nice to share this room with people who we are at least familiar with," the blue-haired lady spoke up, her soft melodic voice betraying an unmistakable foreign accent. I nodded in agreement and was just about speak up again when I felt Raphtalia tug my arm.

"Excuse me, Master, I don't mean to be rude but did you understand what she was saying? I couldn't understand a word of it myself…" I looked at her with a puzzled expression until I noticed similar sentiments of confusion on both Filo and Keel's face, as did the person in question

"Oh I do apologise, I am so used to everyone understanding me that I sometimes forget there are people who won't understand." She then laid on a hand on her companion's pouch which from the looks of it contained a folded-away weapon as it glowed in response to her touch. "Can you all understand me now?" She asked.

"We can. Sorry about that," Raphtalia replied with a small bow which was quickly mimicked by both Filo and Keel. Like our new friend, I too had gotten used to hearing the same language being spoken back to me due to my Shield's auto-translate function, and as such, I had forgotten all about it. It's what had allowed me to converse with my fellow Heroes despite our language barrier.

"Now that that's out of the way, how about we get introduced to one another?" The man resumed, taking the sudden motion of the ship pulling away from the harbour in his stride. "My name is L'Arc Berg. It's a pleasure to meet ya." Turns out I hadn't been too far wrong in guessing his name yesterday.

His companion then introduced herself with a small bow. "And my name is Therese Alexanderite, but please just call me Therese. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all."

My companions then took their turns to introduce themselves. "My name is Keel. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"I'm Filo!"

"My name is Raphtalia. It's lovely to meet you."

That left me for last. "And my name is Fergus Ward, but just call me Fergus. I'm looking forward to getting to know you both."

Their reaction upon hearing my name was the last thing I, or any of us, were expecting as both L'Arc and Therese let out an amused chuckle. "I'm sorry, is there something funny about my name?" I asked, looking between the pair of them with a frown.

"You really don't have to use an alias like that to make a noteworthy impression. You already did that back at the village." L'Arc replied, which only confused me further. Why the hell would they think I would be using an alias?

"I'm telling you the truth, that is my real name," I proceeded to insist, but that only caused them to let out another amused laugh, confusing myself and the others even more.

"Look, I get you're trying hard to maintain your cover and all, and don't worry, I won't ask what you are hiding from, but I would advise you not to use that name for it," L'Arc explained, his voice serious for the first time.

This was getting really bizarre now. Why on earth would my name be such a problem around here? "What do you mean?" I asked, deciding to play along for now.

Therese proceeded to explain. "Everyone back where we come from has heard the rumours from Melromarc about how horrible the Shield-Hero is. His name has become so infamous that just hearing it causes children to tremble in fear."

"We've heard he's a heartless scumbag, guilty of innumerable crimes: thievery, kidnapping, slavery, rape, extortion…you name it, he's done it," L'Arc added darkly. "And worst of all, he's a blackmailer who has friends in powerful positions that kill anyone he doesn't like."

Well of all the things I was expecting to hear, that was far beyond anything I could have imagined. So not only were some of the false rumours being spread about me still being believed, more crimes had been added to the list to make me look like an absolute devil! Could Aultcray-no, his name was Trash now, could he have been the one responsible for this? Or had it been the work of extremists within the Three Heroes Church to further fit their narrative of me being the Devil of the Shield?

Regardless, I sure as hell wasn't a fan on these rumours, and as expected my companions were bristling with indignation about what they'd heard. And the explosion that followed came right out of the mouth of the person who I knew would be the most upset.

"That isn't the slightest bit true!" Raphtalia cried, glaring at both L'Arc and Therese. "The Shield-Hero is nothing like the monster you portray him as! And what's more, those crimes he's been accused of were all made up to begin with, and his name has been cleared of any wrong-doing by the Queen of Melromarc herself!"

L'Arc and Therese looked at each-other uneasily in response to Raphtalia's protest before L'Arc responded, his voice dropping back into its usual carefree tone as he spoke. "Look, we've only just met you and we can tell you're nothing like that creep. We just don't want you getting a bad rep that's all. But if that's what you want us to believe, I guess I'll just call you Shield-kiddo. Sound good?"

"_This is not going how I expected…_" I thought to myself concernedly as I saw the faces of my companions get angrier with every word that L'Arc spoke, and honestly, I didn't blame them. If I were in their shoes, I too would be angry about hearing bad things being said about someone I cared about, even if the person speaking those words clearly meant us no harm. And I could tell from their attitudes and the way they spoke, unless they were really good actors, that L'Arc and Therese were good people. I just couldn't understand why they weren't accepting what Raphtalia had told them. And judging by how things had gone so far, they'd continue brushing off any insistence that I was the Shield-Hero under the excuse that I was nothing like the rumours they'd heard. I knew I had to be very careful how I approached this, as the wrong words would no doubt set off a huge argument that we didn't need right now.

"Look, we're all reasonable people here, so I suggest we just take a moment and sort this out," I called out as I got in between both parties, turning to address my companions first. "We all know that all those rumours about me are a pack of lies, and I don't blame you for getting upset at hearing them again. But at the same time, we have to remember my name was only cleared a few days ago, so not everyone will have heard about it yet. What matters to us is that we know the truth, so let's not pick a fight over it since I'm sure we can all agree these are good people, and they aren't to blame for not knowing the truth yet."

The girls looked at each other uneasily, Raphtalia, in particular, was still slightly upset, but they eventually gave me a reluctant nod. I let out a sigh of relief before turning to look at L'Arc and Therese. "Just because you don't want to think I'm the Shield-Hero doesn't automatically make it the truth. However, I'm not going to force you to change your minds. If that's what you want to believe that's fine, just as long as you don't make a big deal out of it, and if you want to use an alias for me that's fine as well. Just try not to freak out when you eventually realise the truth."

I could tell they were still a bit uneasy after hearing my words, but their relief that it wouldn't lead to an argument eventually won the day as they eventually let out a smile. "That's fine with us. By the way, you fancy joining us whilst we level on Cal Mira? I'm sure we'd make a good team." L'Arc proceeded to ask.

That really caught us on the hop, after all, we had only just managed to clear the air between us, and now he was instantly offering to team up with us? "No offence but why would you want to do that? We've only just gotten to know each other," I asked.

Just as L'Arc was about to respond, we all heard a knock on the door and a voice from the other side call out. "The captain would like you all on the main deck for a moment please."

"I guess we'll have to carry on this conversation later," I told L'Arc before proceeding to open the door of our room, revealing one of the crew on the other side who instantly motioned for us to follow him

"It's really an honour for us to have the Four Cardinal Heroes travelling along with us! It would really mean a lot to some of the crew if you spoke to them at some point." The crewman whispered to me excitedly as we made our way along the passageway as Therese proceeded to strike up a conversation with Raphtalia right behind me, their words spoken too quiet for me to hear.

"I'm sure I could manage that, just don't get your hopes up about the others," I replied jokingly as we climbed the final set of stairs and walked out onto the deck, where the sight that awaited us proved my words correct even though I had spoken them in a teasing manner. "Told you so," I said smugly.

Rather than projecting an image of being supposed Heroes of legend, my fellows were instead looking very worse for wear, which wasn't helped by the sounds of their constant moaning in pain. Both Ren and Itsuki were crumpled against the side of the ship, clutching their stomachs in agony, whereas Motoyasu was currently leaning over the side of the ship, his chest heaving and his legs looking very wobbly as he struggled to maintain his balance.

"How the hell are you guys still okay?" Ren moaned pitifully as he took in the sight of me and my companions all in perfect health.

"It's probably because of that cheating Shield of his," Itsuki muttered as Motoyasu proceeded to empty the contents of his stomach into the water with a loud belch. I shook my head in disbelief at both the sight of them and at Itsuki's words.

"There is no winning with you lot is there? Besides, the only weaklings I'm seeing at the moment are you guys. Imagine, the three great Heroes, defeated by something so mild as sea-sickness." This caused me to chuckle as Filo, now in her Filolial form, took a huge running leap off the side of the ship and went for a swim. I then looked around the deck of the ship, noticing with amusement that all of the Heroes' party-members wore similar expressions of pain and discomfort. And it was looking at them that made me wonder…why weren't Raphtalia and Keel feeling as unwell?

I put that question to my companions. "I'm not sure why that is the case since I struggle with travel-sickness just from travelling in our cart. I'm just glad that I'm not feeling rough," Raphtalia answered in a relieved voice as Keel shrugged her shoulders, having no idea herself.

I nodded in agreement as I noticed that the crew-members around us were looking a bit disheartened at seeing the state the other Heroes were in. "I feel bad for the crew. They were pumped up to see the four Heroes, but I doubt this was what they were expecting. I wish there was some way we could cheer them up…" No sooner were the words out of my mouth when an idea popped into my head, causing me to grin evilly as I turned to face Raphtalia.

"Hey Raphtalia, do you trust me?" I asked, which caused her to look at me in confusion before giving me a nod. "Then follow my lead, I know something we can do to get everyone in a good mood." I stretched my hand out to her which she proceeded to take as I led her to the centre of the deck, an action which drew the eyes of everyone present. Once we were in position, I turned to face Raphtalia, who was still watching me curiously, and proceeded to place my hands on her shoulders, looking her directly in the eyes.

"Raphtalia!" I shouted in a loud voice for all to hear. "I want everyone here to know that I love you more than life itself! You are my life, my world and my very reason for living!" Before she or anyone else could say a word, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

This got exactly the reaction I wanted as I dimly heard a loud chorus of cheers and whooping noises from all around us. It only took a moment for Raphtalia to register what I had done before melting into the kiss, wrapping her arms around me as she proceeded to press her lips against mine with equal passion. We held the kiss for a long while before separating, staying in a tight embrace as we did so whilst everyone around us, apart from the other Heroes and their parties, gave us a round of applause. And as I looked at Raphtalia, I could see her face was blushing a deep crimson which looked absolutely adorable. Mission success!

"Gotta say Shield-kiddo, that was a hell of a show you just put on," L'Arc commented as he and Therese approached us, both of them grinning in amusement at what they had just seen. "By the way, what's up with those guys?" He asked, pointing at the sprawled forms of the other Heroes.

"Weak stomachs, just ignore them," I replied dismissively. "What can I do for you both?" L'Arc didn't respond, instead turning to look at Therese who approached me rather shyly.

"I was talking to Raphtalia on our way up, and she told me that you are a skilled craftsman. If that's true, I was wondering if you could craft a jewel for me? I would, of course, be more than happy to provide you with the materials for doing so." With those words, she then proceeded to hand me a small brown bag, presumably the materials she had just mentioned.

I disentangled myself from Raphtalia's embrace as I took the bag from Therese and proceeded to look at what it contained, letting out a soft whistle of appreciation as I did. From a quick glance, I could tell these were high-quality materials, none more so than the crimson gem lying amongst them. "I can certainly do that for you," I told Therese with a smile. "It might take a while depending on how much free time we get whilst on Cal Mira, but I promise I will do my very best."

"Thank you so much, you have my utmost gratitude!" Therese replied happily, bowing as she spoke as L'Arc smiled at his companion.

"Congratulations, you're getting exactly what you were after!" He said to her before his expression darkened as he looked out on the horizon, and at that exact moment, we all heard a rumbling sound in the distance. "Sounds like a bad storm is coming. We'd all better get below decks before it hits." This drew a loud groan from the other Heroes and their companions.

"Looks like you guys are in for a rough time, have fun!" I called out cheekily as a large fish was suddenly thrown onto the deck in front of everyone. Before anyone could react, several more flew out of the water and piled right on top of the first one.

"Master! I've brought you our supper!" Filo cried out happily as she landed on the deck directly next to the fish. She proceeded to shake the water out of her feathers with the resulting spray drenching the other Heroes, which I'm pretty sure was Filo's intention all along.

"Thank you for that Filo!" I congratulated her as Keel and I gathered up the fish she had provided, ignoring Ren's groan about their stench. "Alright then guys, let's head back downstairs so I can cook this all up." The rest of my party, along with L'Arc and Therese, let out sounds of approval as we made our way off the deck, the sounds of the other Three Heroes throwing up again causing me to laugh out loud once more.

§

"Don't be so mean Master Fergus, it's not their fault they're feeling unwell." Raphtalia reprimanded me as we made our way downstairs, although judging by her tone I could tell she was only being half-serious.

"Admit it, you were laughing as well," I teased her, causing her to blush furiously.

"You can be such a pain in the butt sometimes…" She muttered as we reached the bottom of the stairs, her words instantly giving me an amusing idea. Evil, but amusing all the same.

"Speaking of pains in the butt…" I then reached over with my right hand and pulled on her tail, causing her to let out a squeak of pain before coming to a halt, her entire body trembling.

"Everyone…" She spoke in a low voice as she turned around to face me, her face completely blank. "Could you please give me a moment alone with my boyfriend? He and I need to talk…"

"_Oh crap…just what have I done…_" I thought to myself in a slight panic as L'Arc immediately proceeded to take the fish I was currently holding onto.

"Come on you lot, let's give them so privacy." He said, waving the others down the corridor.

"What's going on?" Keel asked confused as Raphtalia advanced on me, her face still completely blank.

"Trust me, y'all better off not seeing. Best of luck kiddo!" L'Arc replied as he shooed everyone away from us.

"What are you guys-AGH!" My words were cut off as Raphtalia forcefully grabbed my hand and led me over to the area underneath the stairs before I could object. As I struggled to process her sudden show of strength, I found myself being slammed against the wall of the ship.

"You're going to pay for that…" Raphtalia muttered, and as I looked into her eyes I found her staring at me with a lustful expression. Before I could muster a response her lips slammed into mine, the force of which pushed me back further against the wall as she started kissing me fiercely.

"_Hang on a minute…did pulling on her tail…make her sexually aroused?_" I thought to myself as, after a moment's hesitation, I proceeded to kiss her back, figuring it was best to let her have her way for now. But my response only caused her to increase the intensity of her kiss even more, her tongue forcing its way into the roof of my mouth.

"_Okay wow, I never knew she had this side to her…_" I hazily thought to myself, matching the intensity of her kiss as we momentarily lost ourselves in the heat of passion. But as I opened my eyes for a moment, I noticed with alarm her hands shakily moving towards her chest.

"RAPHTALIA! STOP!" I called out, breaking the kiss as I grabbed her hands before they could do anything more.

"WHAT?!" She growled.

"You need to calm down," I firmly stated as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into me, willing her to relax. She struggled for a moment but after a short while her breathing eventually returned to normal and her arms flopped to her side.

"Are you okay?" I eventually asked her.

"I'm okay…I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me…" She murmured as she wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm sorry as well. I didn't know pulling on your tail would get you so frisky," I replied, which caused her to break our embrace as she looked up at me in alarm.

"Fergus…please…tell me I didn't…"

"It's okay, all we did was kiss and I managed to stop you before it went any further," I tried reassuring her as a mortified expression crossed her face.

"Oh my gosh…Master I'm-"

"It's okay," I soothed her before she could panic. "It's okay…" I murmured as I wrapped her in arms once more. That did the trick as she calmed down almost instantly.

"Can we…please not tell anyone about this?" She murmured into my chest.

"I won't tell a soul, I promise. We should probably head back though, the others are probably wondering where we are." She nodded as she unwrapped herself from my embrace, giving me one last grateful look and kiss before heading down the passageway to our room. I took a moment to recompose myself before following after her, my head still spinning from what I had just experienced…

**So there we are, another chapter down! The end is nearly in sight now, I estimate there will be at least four more chapters before we get there and I'm looking forward to writing each and every one of them!**

**The big kiss between Fergus and Raphtalia on the deck of the ship was inspired by another story I read. However it's not a Shield-Hero story, instead, it's a Sword Art Online story called "Moments" by momoxtoshiro which focuses on short stories centred around Kirito and Asuna's relationship. I cannot lie I am a proud KiritoxAsuna shipper and am so looking forward to seeing them back together in the next part of the anime.**

**And the last part of the story was something I hadn't planned on including in the first place, but after a PM from another user, I couldn't get the prompt out of my head so I decided to include it. So now we know what happens if Fergus pulls on Raphtalia's tail…**

**We will be getting to Cal Mira and all the adventures that lie in store for our heroes in the next chapter, and as I have said before the last unique Shield will be revealed whilst we are there. So until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now and I will see you in the next one!**


	31. Ch 29 - Island Adventures

**Not much of a beginning author's note needed. As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 29 - Island Adventures

"Attention all passengers! We shall shortly be arriving at the Cal Mira Archipelago!" A loud voice rang out from above us, sharply jolting me from the wonderful sleep I was having. "All crewmen, prepare for docking!"

"Wha-what was that just now?" Keel asked woozily from above me.

"I think he said we were arriving at-" My words were cut off as I realised exactly what we had just heard. "Guys! He said we were arriving at Cal Mira! We're here!" I whispered excitedly so as not to wake L'Arc and Therese.

"We're there already?" Raphtalia asked, her voice full of sleep as we struggled to disentangle ourselves from one another.

"Sounds like it, shall we go and get our first look?"

"YAY!" Filo called exuberantly, and before any of us could protest she leapt down from the bed she had shared with Keel and dashed out of the room.

"_How the hell does she always have so much energy?_" I thought to myself amusedly as myself, Raphtalia and Keel slowly went after her, careful once again not to waken L'Arc and Therese who for some reason hadn't stirred from the announcement. We quickly made our way up to the main deck, doing our best to get out of the way of the crew as they made their preparations to dock the ship, before joining Filo and some of the other passengers to get our first good look at Cal Mira.

And boy was it a sight to behold. I had never been to a tropical island back in my world, but the pictures I had seen on the internet as well as from my friends' holidays didn't do what we now saw any justice. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted several smaller islands in the distance, but everyone's focus was on the main island in front of us. We were currently pulling into a dock that was situated next to a sandy beach which stretched far away either side, and on the area of beach in front of us were a bunch of wooden buildings in all shapes and sizes, and rising from behind them in the distance was a whole gaggle of tall white buildings, again in various shapes and sizes, which I took to be the main resort area, and behind that stretched woodlands, plains and other tropical climes which seemed to go on as far as we could see.

"This place is beautiful!" Raphtalia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling at what she saw as her long brown hair swayed about in the ocean breeze.

"It sure is," I replied, momentarily distracted by the sight of my girlfriend. Even though Cal Mira looked gorgeous, it still didn't compare in my mind to her. "But still not as beautiful as the girl beside me," I added, which caused Raphtalia to blush furiously.

"Are you two going to be like this the whole time we're here?" Keel moaned although I could tell by the twinkle in her eyes that she was joking.

"Don't worry, I'll tone it down whilst we're working. However I cannot make any promises for when the two of us are alone," I replied with a wink, which caused Raphtalia to blush further in embarrassment and the others to laugh as the boat pulled into the dock.

"it's so warm here…!" Filo sighed happily as made our way down from the boat onto the dock. "Do you think we'll be able to relax whilst we're here?"

"I'm sure we can find some time," I replied as we made our way off the dock, where we were approached by a brown-haired man in a blue business suit who I suspected was here to greet us.

My suspicions were correct as the man gave us a short bow before speaking. "You must be the Shield-Hero and his party," he said in a drawl that was somehow courteous at the same time. "I am the Earl of Habenburg, the caretaker of the Cal Mira island resort, and I bid you all welcome to our humble archipelago. Please, allow me to escort you and the other Heroes…to the inn…" his words trailed off as he frowned at something behind us.

I was just about to give a short bow in response when I noticed where his gaze went, and as we looked behind us I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the sight of the other three Heroes, all of them looking rotten as they were carried off the boat on stretchers by their party-members, who themselves weren't looking too well.

"_Looks like some people didn't have a good night…_" I thought to myself amusedly as I watched Motoyasu being carried past, who upon noticing Filo tried to weakly wave a hand in her direction. "My…dear Filo…I swear…this isn't…what it looks like," he groaned, which caused the Filolial in question to have a good laugh at his expense.

"Will they be okay?" Keel asked concernedly as we watched Ren and Itsuki get carried past us, both in similar states to Motoyasu.

"it is very rare for a ship to arrive where none of the passengers are affected by sea-sickness, and as such we always have healers on hand to treat the afflicted. They'll be back on their feet in no time," the Earl replied smoothly. "In the mean-time, it looks like I'll just be escorting the Shield-Hero and his party. If you would, please follow after me."

"We'd be delighted, thank you very much," I replied formally as we each gave the Earl a short bow, which he promptly reciprocated before leading us towards the resort.

§

As it turns out, the buildings being all clumped together wasn't just because of the distance we had been viewing them from, and as a result it didn't take us that long to reach the inn we were staying at. As we had been walking along the main streets on our route the Earl had very kindly pointed out several stalls, shops and other areas of interest that we might need during our stay here, and there were points where I had to drag the girls away from a shop or stall that had caught their eye with promises of going back to them at some point during our stay.

It turned out our destination wasn't just a mere inn that we had been used to staying in during our times on the road. In fact, it was more like a luxury hotel judging by how large the front of it was. And as it turned out, that wasn't all there was to it as the Earl proceeded to explain that Queen Mirellia had reserved several suites for the Heroes' use, and as the first party to arrive we had our pick of which one we wanted, before handing us a small travel booklet and wishing us a good time as he left. After bidding him farewell, I excitedly told the girls to go and pick us out the best one, which caused them all to let out a cheer before charging on inside. I stayed outside for a few seconds to register this area as a transport location before heading inside to catch up.

Once I passed through the main building, which I quickly found out contained an area for guests to check-in and out, a small dining area, an open-top bar and several smaller hotel rooms for those who were on tighter budgets, I walked out into the main courtyard area, which consisted of a large swimming pool surrounded by massive palm trees, and surrounding this were several small house-like structures situated on both the ground floor and an upper floor which could be reached using a flight of stairs, which I quickly deduced were the suites the Earl had mentioned. I was just about to start my search for the girls when I heard them calling out my name, and turning my head I saw them all beckoning to me out of one of the ground-floor suites. Turns out they had quickly reached a consensus on which one was to be ours.

I followed them inside the door which led on to a very large lounge area that contained several sofas, chairs and tables as well as an entryway out onto a balcony that allowed us a good view of the surrounding resort, and branching off from this lounge area were several passageways that contained various rooms. Upon a quick wander round I ascertained there were three bedrooms, two washrooms, a small storage area and another room which, after a bit of musing, I figured out was an area we could prepare food should we need it. In terms of the bedrooms, one of them contained a double bed that I instantly claimed for myself and Raphtalia, much to her delight, whilst the other two had small single beds that would be just right for Filo and Keel.

"Okay then girls, drop your stuff in your rooms and then join me in the lounge area so we can go over this guidebook!" I called out after our small tour. The girls proceeded to do just that, with Raphtalia kindly offering to take my things into our room with her, and before long we were all sat around the various chairs and sofas in the main area as I pulled out the guidebook and started to read from it.

"Welcome to the Cal Mira Archipelago," I read. "As well as being a popular tourist site, Cal Mira is also rumoured to be a spot where many of the past Heroes, as well as several famous adventurers, came to train and get stronger, and we humbly hope that your stay here will not only be relaxing but will also allow you to have the same experience as those who have gone before you." I let out a small chuckle at those words. "They're really laying the whole history thing on thick, aren't they?"

"Does it say anything about the activation event?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

"Let me see…" I replied as I skimmed through the booklet. Thankfully, there was a page that was helpfully titled 'The Activation Event'. "With the activation event bringing both Heroes and adventurers from over the world to Cal Mira, we predict the islands will be swarming as everyone will be doing their best to gather as much experience as possible. And whilst we trust everyone to behave themselves during their stay here, we have put a few rules in place to ensure everyone gets the most out of their time here."

"What sort of rules could there be for an event like this?" Keel wondered.

"Let's see…it says the only way to travel between the various islands is via boat, and whilst everyone is encouraged to kill as many monsters as possible, no-one is to interfere with or steal kills from any other adventurer or party…" "_Reminds me of times back in WoW when higher-levelled players would kill all the monsters and quest-givers in a particular region to stop members of the other faction levelling up," _I thought to myself as I skimmed through the rest of the rules, noting it was all basic health and safety stuff._ "Yes it was dirty but faction pride was a major thing for some people at the time. I guess these rules are in place to stop a similar sort of thing happening as well as to keep things fair._"

I closed the booklet after that. "The rest of it is the usual health and safety stuff, stuff we already know, so how about we get started now that we're all settled?" This got an affirmative response from all three of them, and so after collecting our equipment we all left our chalet and made our way out of the hotel entrance, where Keel immediately drew our attention to a large totem-like statue in the middle of the square in front of us, which we had all somehow missed when we arrived here.

"_Must have been distracted with the rest of the sights to notice,_" I thought to myself, taking out the guidebook as we all made our way around to look at the front of the totem where we noticed four strange faces carved on top of one another.

"What are they supposed to be?" Keel asked.

"According to what it says here, those faces are supposed to represent the island's original inhabitants who helped develop these islands into what they are today," I read out loud.

"And apparently there is supposed to be an epigraph at its base that was left here by one of the past Heroes," Raphtalia pointed out, having read on a bit further over my shoulder.

"Is this what she means Master?" Filo asked, pointing to the stone tablet right at the foot of the totem.

"I reckon so…" I replied, studying it curiously and, upon realising the writing on it was magical in nature, proceeded to use my Shield to translate the words inscribed there. "It reads that if one is able to cast the spell Zweit Aura, they can use its power to make the target of their choice grow stronger. Let's test the theory shall we?"

With that, I held out a hand towards Filo. "Zweit Aura!" I called out, which caused a small green glow to surround the small blonde, who proceeded to instantly clench her fists as she no doubt felt the extra power coursing through her body.

"I feel so powerful now!" Without warning, she proceeded to jump super high in the air, reaching the top of the totem pole before landing safely back on the ground. "That felt amazing!" She cheered, causing the rest of us to let out a chuckle.

"Hey! Shield-kiddo!" A familiar voice called out, and as we turned around we saw L'Arc, waving heartily in our direction, and Therese approaching us. "Filo sure did get some good height on that one, it's how we were able to find you," he continued, giving a Filo a smile and thumbs-up as she waved back. "Why'd you guys run off on us like that? We woke up and found you lot had already left the ship!"

"Yeah sorry about that," I replied, scratching my head awkwardly in embarrassment. "We were just so excited to get here and didn't want to disturb you."

"You really hurt my feelings y'know kiddo?" L'Arc replied although I could tell by his grin he was joking. "But honestly I don't blame ya one bit, this is a really nice place. By the way, you never got back to us about teaming up together."

"We'll need some time to get acquainted with the resort and the geography of the island, but after that, we'd be more than happy to join up with you, if that's what you want as well," Therese added.

Personally I had no objections, they both seemed like good company, but I wanted to sound out the opinions of my companions before making a decision. "What do you guys think?" I asked, looking back at them.

"It would make a nice change to have some company, and besides they seem like nice people so it would be good to get to know them better," Raphtalia replied as Filo and Keel nodded in agreement.

"Well then it's decided, we'd be more than happy to team up with you guys at some point," I replied as I turned to look back at L'Arc and Therese, smiling at them. "Here's what I suggest then: We use the rest of today to get to know the area better as well as figure out the best farming spots, and then tomorrow perhaps we could all team up?"

"Sounds good to us kiddo," L'Arc replied, with Therese nodding in agreement, as he reached out a hand. I took it and gave it a firm shake, sealing the deal. "We'll see you around then." With that, they turned around and headed towards the inn.

"Well now that that's settled, shall we get a move on? It's already afternoon so let's not waste any more time." This got three cheers of agreement as we set off.

§

It didn't take us very long to find our first farming spot, a large open field surrounded by lush woodlands which was swarming with low-level monsters, the majority of which were small balls of slime. After taking care of the first few packs of them, we discovered that not only did the slimes in particular have a short respawn timer, but they also gave us a decent amount of experience points despite their level which I attributed to the activation zone being up. Buoyed by this information we got down to work, easily sweeping aside all the monsters that got in our way, which ranged from the aforementioned slimes to small beasts such as rabbits and squirrels to larger monsters such as giant toads and winged insects. This variety allowed me to absorb and loot a whole range of materials which could be used for crafting and weapon refinement as well as for acquiring new Shields.

There wasn't any real need for strategy at this point since the monsters were so weak, so whilst we did keep within easy communication range of one another, my companions were easily able to kill the monsters in one hit, whilst I did my part in holding them off and in the process trying several of my new Shields and the skills they possessed such as the Iron Shield and Meteorite Iron Shield.

"Everyone doing okay so far?" I asked as we all took a breather after taking down a giant toad.

"I stopped gaining experience points a short while ago since I hit level 40," Keel responded as she picked up some of the arrows she had fired at the toad, and as I looked at my Status Menu I saw a star right by her name-plate, signalling it was time for her to class-upgrade.

"We've done good so far since the rest of us are currently in the mid-40's, so we could probably afford to take some time off to get Keel's upgrade," I replied, seeing no mobs in our vicinity except for a small group of slimes.

"Everything here is so weak that it's hard to not get bored by them," Raphtalia remarked, sheathing her sword as we watched Filo run off to deal with the slimes.

"I know what you mean," I replied as Filo knocked aside the slimes with ease, although curiously she didn't get any experience points from them. "That's the downside to grinding I'm afraid, it does get repetitive after a while. But we just have to keep sticking at it." As I was speaking, an arrow whipped by my head and popped one of the slimes that Filo had missed. "Hey Keel, was that you?"

"It wasn't me Sir Fergus, I'm standing right next to you guys," Keel replied. This caused me to let out a sigh as I realised who it was. There was only one other person I knew who used a bow and arrow.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you're the one stopping us from getting any EXP," a very familiar voice called out from behind me, confirming my suspicions as we all turned around to see Itsuki and his party appear over the top of a nearby hill.

"_Explains why the rest of stopped gaining any experience after the last few mobs,_" I thought to myself as Itsuki walked down the hill towards us. Sensing a confrontation coming I decided to try and ease the tension a little. "Looks like it didn't take you too long to get over your sea-sickness. You manage to settle yourselves in okay?"

My attempts to be polite hadn't worked whatsoever if his expression as he walked up to me was anything to go by. "You guys are in our farming spot. Leave and find somewhere else to level."

This nerve of this bastard to suggest WE'RE the ones in the wrong here, just when I thought he couldn't get any more arrogant! "I think you'll find we were here first, so if any of us are going elsewhere it's you," I replied with a sharp edge to my voice as my party came to my side in support.

"Hey, what's happened to my EXP? Oh, it's you guys," another familiar voice called out before Itsuki could respond, and I couldn't help but let out a sigh as we both turned and spotted Motoyasu approaching us, his expression darkening as he spotted me.

"Oh great, you're here as well," I called out sarcastically. "Why don't all you idiots just show up?!"

"What are you guys doing here? Go somewhere else and stop blocking my EXP!" another familiar voice called out as if summoned by my sarcastic retort.

"_Are you serious?!_" "I was fucking kidding!" I roared as we turned our heads once more to see Ren approaching us, minus his party as per usual.

"Why should I have to leave? I was here first you know," Itsuki retorted, glaring at Ren.

"No you weren't! I was here first, so if anyone's leaving it's you lot!" Motoyasu protested, glaring at them both.

"Big deal, I need this area more than you guys. Go and find another place to grind," Ren butted in, and the arguments continued as the three of them continued to bicker about who had the right to be here whilst ignoring me in the process, which I didn't mind one bit since I was currently losing brain cells just by listening to them.

"These guys are hopeless," I muttered to my companions in exasperation, and judging by their expressions they were just as annoyed.

"What should we do Fergus?" Raphtalia asked.

"These guys are going to be arguing for hours so we may as well go and sort out Keel's class-upgrade," I decided, bringing out my Portal Shield. My companions all gathered around me as I activated the Teleport function, setting the Dragon Hourglass in Melromarc as our destination. With that locked in, a ray of yellow light surrounded us and in the blink of an eye we left Cal Mira behind as the familiar shape of the Hourglass appeared in front of us.

We all took a moment to recover from the effects of teleportation, during which I noted that the cool-down for the teleport spell was an hour, which sucked but also meant we could relax a little until the spell was ready again. With that in mind, we quickly sorted out Keel's class upgrade, after which we found a quiet out of the way spot outside of the cathedral where we could sit for a while. As the others all dozed off, with Raphtalia resting her head on my shoulder, I used the time to continue crafting the accessory Therese had requested.

§

Once the timer was done we used the teleport function to return to Cal Mira, where we collectively decided to hunt on one of the other islands rather than risking the other Heroes stealing our farming spots. Our plan made, we found a ferryman who was happy to ship us over in his small boat, whilst Filo was more than content to swim alongside us. Upon arriving, we found that this particular island contained mostly ruins, small pockets of sandy beaches and clearings surrounded by palm trees.

After taking a quick moment to gather our bearings we got to work once more. This time, however, the monsters were not only bigger but a lot tougher, and as such, we had to work together as a team to bring them down. I would often go in first and draw their attention, and as they pounded and scratched away on my Shield the others would chip away at its health until it went down, using a mix of basic attacks and spells depending on what we were fighting. After every fight, Keel made sure to pick up the arrows she had used so that her stock didn't go down whilst I looted and absorbed what materials I could as per usual.

As the day carried on and we continued grinding, our levels kept rising dramatically due to the high amount of experience we were getting. As Filo proceeded to finish off our latest opponent, a black-winged bull-like monster, I called a temporary breather so that I could take stock of how we were doing level-wise. Looking at my Status Menu, I saw that I was at level 57, Raphtalia was at level 59, Filo was at level 61 and Keel was at level 52, which in my view was brilliant progress considering we had lost an hour due to getting Keel's class upgrade.

"How are you guys doing?" I asked.

"I'm having so much fun Master! These enemies are really strong and are a great challenge!" Filo called out happily as Keel made her way over to higher ground to scout out what was next. Raphtalia, on the other hand, was looking a bit concerned as she made her way over to me, her sword held between her hands, and as I took a closer look at it I could see why she was so concerned: the weapon was looking incredibly beaten-up and probably wouldn't last much longer.

"That's not good…" I muttered as I examined it. "Any idea how much more it can take?"

"I imagine it will only last for the next few encounters," she replied. "Given how rapidly we've levelled, I reckon we have outgrown the weapon's power level, which will it cause it to wear out much faster the more we grind." As she spoke I looked over at Filo's talons and noticed they looked just as worn. If they broke out here, we were going to be severely handicapped until we got back to the resort and acquired new ones. But that would take too much time. I needed a solution right here, right now, and as I mulled it over I remembered what Ren had told me about the crafting system.

"I think I have a solution," I told Raphtalia as I knelt down and proceeded to examine what drops we had gotten from the monster. As well as the usual materials, there was a weapon drop called the Karma Dog Claw which, if it was what I suspected it was, would be very useful for Filo. And so after looting the monster, I waved Filo over whilst at the same time calling out the new weapon from my Inventory system. As it materialised and landed in my hands, I saw that it was a glove in the shape of a black dog's head with multiple metal claws sticking out from it, and as luck would have it the glove fitted snugly on Filo's hand in her human form.

"That looks so cool, thank you, Master!" She exclaimed, and as she took the time to gleefully admire it's every detail I went into the Crafting Menu and, using a combination of metals and other materials that I had acquired during our time here, used it to forge Raphtalia a new sword to replace her old dented one. As the new weapon materialised out of my Shield, I noticed both the blade and hilt were black, giving it a rather ominous look, though that didn't faze Raphtalia one bit judging from her reaction.

"I love it, thank you so much, Fergus!" She said, giving me a kiss on the cheek that caused me to blush a little. I was just about to ask her if she was good to continue when suddenly we heard a shout from Keel's direction.

"Hey Fergus, I think you ought to check out these ruins!" Curious as to what she might have found, we all made our over to her vantage point and looked down into the ruins she had mentioned, where I instantly realised why she had called out to us: On one of the walls of the ruins hung a very strange looking Shield which was in the shape of a large cross over a round base and had a dark-silver colouring.

"That's one of the strangest looking Shields I have ever seen," Raphtalia remarked, echoing my thoughts as we made our way into the ruins to have a closer look. "Why would they design in that way?"

"Your guess is as good as mine Raphtalia, but the only way we're going to find out is upon closer examination," I replied as we approached the Shield in question, where I proceeded to use the Weapon Copy skill on it. The resulting pop-up informed me I had acquired the Buffing Shield, another unique weapon that came with a set of skills. As I looked down the skills I saw that, like some of my other unique Shields, they could only be used once a day as well. Resolving to test them out during the next Wave, we left the ruins and carried on grinding well into the evening.

Eventually, night fell upon us, and since we had been going for some time without a proper break, I decided that we should make camp for the time being so that we could eat as well as recover. We found a suitable clearing and got a fire going as I proceeded to lay out all of the materials and drops we had acquired throughout the afternoon.

"I noticed that as we kept losing light, the monsters we fought kept getting stronger and as a result the quality of the loot they dropped was much higher," I theorised as we all examined some of the materials we had acquired. "I wonder if that's a common thing or whether it's just for the activation event?"

"And since we've been used to travelling and fighting during the night, it was no problem dealing with whatever came our way," Raphtalia added.

"Today's been so much fun, especially after I got this really cool-looking weapon!" Filo piped up as she once more admired the claw on her hand, which caused us all to chuckle.

Keel then spoke up. "Even though I haven't had as much experience fighting in the darkness as you guys, I'm used to it now, especially since I can use Light Magic to see where my arrows are going."

I nodded at their remarks, pleased that they all seemed to be coping well, and was just about to respond when I suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot through my chest, causing me to clench my stomach as I let out a small groan.

"What's wrong Master?" Filo asked, her eyes round with worry as they all looked in my direction.

"Nothing Filo, I'm fine," I tried to bluff, but Raphtalia wasn't fooled in the slightest.

"Do I need to remind you that you're still recovering from the effects of Blood Sacrifice?" She pointed out disapprovingly, a worried expression on her face. "You're pushing yourself way too hard too soon and it's affecting your recovery. We should head back to the resort."

"It's okay Raphtalia, I swear I haven't been pushing myself too hard…" I started to protest, but one look at her expression was enough to make me reconsider. "Okay then, we'll have a quick bite to eat and then head back. Sound good?"

I got three relieved nods in response as we proceeded to eat a quick dinner, after which I gathered up all of the loot and deposited it into my Inventory System. However, just as we were about to put out the fire, we heard rustling sounds from all around our camp which caused us all to leap to our feet and draw our weapons. As we looked around the clearing, trying to find the source of the disturbance, the bush in front of us was suddenly swept aside by a scythe blade, causing us to tense up and point our weapons in that direction.

"Thank goodness we found you guys!" A familiar voice rang out as the person wielding the blade came into view. It was none other than L'Arc, with Therese coming to his side a moment later.

"What are you two doing here?" Raphtalia asked we put our weapons away.

"The ferryman was getting increasingly worried about how late you were staying out, so we decided to come along with him and make sure you were okay," Therese responded, a relieved expression on her face.

"Neither of us could have lived with ourselves if we'd found out you lot were dead or missing, especially if we could have prevented it," L'Arc added bitterly.

"_It feels really nice to have people looking out for us for a change,_" I thought to myself, incredibly touched by their concern. "I'm sorry to have made you guys came out all this way at this hour, but thank you for looking out for us," I replied with a smile.

"We do understand that you want to grind levels as much as possible, but everyone has their limits. You should come back with us," Therese said.

"Actually, we had just decided to make our way back when you guys found us, so that works out perfectly," Keel replied.

"That settles it then, we'll all go back together! And when we get back, I'll get you all a round at the bar, sound good?" L'Arc called out cheerily.

L'Arc's suggestion was readily accepted by all four of us, and so after gathering up the rest of our equipment and putting out the fire, we followed them back towards where the ferryman was waiting.

§

As soon as we returned to the resort, we dropped off our equipment and made our way over to the open-topped bar located at the top of the main hotel complex. Upon arriving we noticed it was already pretty crowded with people enjoying themselves, and as I looked around I quickly spotted my fellow Heroes who from the looks of things seemed to be having a good time as well.

"Alright then guys, you find us a table and I'll order us some drinks from the bar. Any requests?" L'Arc asked the rest of us.

"Non-alcoholic stuff for myself and Filo, and nothing too strong for Keel and Raphtalia since it will be their first time drinking," I replied as Therese, Raphtalia and Keel set off to find us a table

"Hey, Master! Master! I see people playing music over there!" Filo called out, tugging on my arm as L'Arc left with our order and pointing to where several musicians were playing various instruments. "Can I go over and sing please Master?"

"Are you sure Filo? Do you even know what they're playing?" I asked her.

"Trust me, Master, I'm a quick learner!" She replied with begging eyes.

"Go knock yourself out then," I relented, causing her to let out a cheer as she ran over to where the musicians were playing. "Wonder what she could be up to…" I muttered as she took a few seconds to get a feel for the beat of that particular song before she turned around and started singing along to it.

"_How on earth is she able to do that?_" I marvelled as I watched her. Her singing was flawless and perfectly in tune with what the musicians were playing. Did she already know the song, or was it because of some skill I didn't know about?

"Yeah! Go Filo!" I heard a voice call out from right next to me, and as I turned I saw Motoyasu, drink in hand, cheer Filo on. Usually, I'd be wary of him being anywhere Filo, but he seemed harmless enough for now so I let him be as L'Arc waved me over from the other side of the bar. It looked like the girls had found us a table.

As I took my seat, L'Arc passed around our drinks, making sure to leave Filo's on the side so she could pick it up later. "I'd like to propose a toast! To a successful day of grinding!" L'Arc called out, raising his mug.

"I'll drink to that!" I called out as everyone raised and clanked their mugs together. Whilst L'Arc, Therese and I downed our drinks, Raphtalia and Keel were too busy eyeing their mugs uneasily, as if unsure how to go about drinking it.

"It's easy enough girls! Just be careful the first few sips and you'll get the hang of it easy enough!" L'Arc explained having spotted their unease. "Just don't down them too fast, your stomach won't like it. Hey Therese! Can you look after them for a little? I wanna talk with the Shield-kiddo in private."

"No problem L'Arc," Therese replied with a smile and a nod as without warning L'Arc grabbed me by the shoulder and led me over to the bar area.

"So then Shield-kiddo, how are you enjoying Cal Mira so far?" He asked cheerily before I could protest why he'd dragged me over, ordering another drink as he did so.

"It's been really good so far," I replied honestly, my protests fading in the wake of his infectious cheeriness. "Whilst it can get boring, we've done some really good grinding so far and gained a lot of levels. How about yourselves?"

"Oh, we didn't do any grinding today. We decided to explore the resort and see what was about, but make no mistake about it, we intend to be going all out tomorrow to raise our levels. Let's hope you and your lot can keep up!"

"We'll see about that!" I replied good-humouredly as we once more clanked mugs before looking out over the bar. Both L'Arc's attitude and the atmosphere of the party around us was really putting me at ease once more, a sensation that I more than welcomed given the rough events of the past few months. "You know something L'Arc? I'm really happy right now. The past month or so has been really tough for me, for reasons I won't get into here, but in the last few days, things have really been looking up. I confessed my feelings for the girl I love, and then we came to this beautiful island with no obligation but to get as strong as possible. And now tonight, in this place, surrounded by people letting their worries go and having a good time…Life is very good right now."

"Glad to hear it Shield-kiddo, it's good to unwind when you can," L'Arc replied with a smile, which only widened as he looked over towards our table. "Speaking of your girl, she looks like she's a quick learner!"

"What do you-Oh…" Whatever words were on my lips died as I spotted Raphtalia downing her mug confidently. "Good to see she's cutting loose, as long as she doesn't go too overboard," I said amusedly. However, as I was speaking, the hulking knight from Itsuki's party, already well into his cups, tripped and stumbled backwards as he was passing by our table, knocking into Raphtalia and causing her to spill the rest of her drink.

"That bastard…if he wasn't drunk I'd swear that was deliberate," I growled, my expression darkening as I saw him turn and, upon seeing it was Raphtalia, scowl at her. I was just about to go over and confront him when I felt L'Arc's hand on my shoulder holding me back.

"I think your girl's gonna be able to handle herself," he said with a confident smirk, and I as looked back over my eyes widened as I saw Raphtalia stare back at the knight completely nonplussed, her face flushed with intoxication as she proceeded to challenge him to an arm-wrestling match.

As L'Arc, myself and everyone else in the bar watched on, a table was quickly set up for both the knight and Raphtalia, and with an eager crowd gathering round the combatants proceeded to lock hands, their elbows resting on the table. As soon as the person calling the match told them to begin, the knight instantly went for the quick victory, only for Raphtalia to hold him back effortlessly before pinning his arm to the table in one swift motion.

"Great job Raphtalia!" Both L'Arc and I cheered as everyone mobbed the victor as she punched the air in victory. I was just about to return to my drink when I saw Raphtalia's gaze turn to where I was standing, her eyes set determinedly as she proceeded to stumble as best as she could in my direction. "_Oh no, what's she up to now…_" I thought to myself alarmingly.

"Best of luck Shield-kiddo!" L'Arc called out cheerily, slapping my back and pushing me forward as Raphtalia came up to us. Before I could ask her what was up she roughly grabbed my arm and led me to the centre of the bar area, waving her other hand up high to get everyone's attention.

"I just…want everyone here to know!" She called out, her words slurring a little as she turned to face me. "That this man right here…my boyfriend…I love him more than I've loved anyone before! We're gonna be together forever…get married…and have a load of babies together!"

"Raphtalia! What are you-?" My words were instantly cut off she grabbed my face and pulled me into a passionate kiss. "_Oh, I see what she's doing…this is payback for what I did to her on the boat…_" I thought to myself, whatever protests I had fading away as I returned the kiss with equal passion, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her into me. As I did, I realised just exactly what I was doing: I was making out with my girlfriend in the middle of a crowded bar, in full view of everyone! And yet that didn't bother me one bit as I was too busy enjoying the feel of Raphtalia's lips on my own, and the sensation of her body pressing up against mine as we continued to kiss, much to everyone's delight if the cheers from all around us were any indication.

We separated eventually due to needing oxygen, but that didn't stop us from holding each other close as we gazed lovingly into each other's eyes. However, before she or I could say anything, a loud crash from nearby caused us to jump apart as everyone's gazes whipped over to the source of the disturbance. It turned out to be Motoyasu, who had fallen flat on his back and was currently lying in a crumpled heap whilst foaming at the mouth.

Thankfully L'Arc was there at his side in an instant, giving him a quick once-over whilst some of the patrons called for a medic. "It's okay, he's just passed out!" He reported. "Although I ain't surprised in the slightest given what he ate."

In response to my curious gaze, he reached into one of the bowls on the bar and pulled out a seemingly innocent red berry. "It's a Lukor berry," he explained. "These things are so strong that you need to dilute them in huge barrels of water before they're safe to consume. Just one of these will wreck your stomach, as evidenced by our friend down there."

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle as I wrapped an arm around Raphtalia whilst we watched Motoyasu get carted away. The party resumed all around us as Filo continued to sing along to the music being played while L'Arc rejoined Therese and Keel at our table.

"Some things never seem to change…" I murmured, referencing Motoyasu's idiocy whilst at the same time looking down at my girlfriend who was busy swaying in time with the music. "But some things do, and for the better…" With that, I leant down and kissed Raphtalia's cheek, who upon feeling my lips turned her head and met my lips with her own once more.

§

After we had all recovered from the night before, the six of us met up outside the inn the following morning.

"I'm very much looking forward to teaming up with the four of you," Therese commented after we had exchanged our usual pleasantries.

"As are we. Personally, I'm excited to see what both of you can do," Keel replied.

"Before we get started I have something for you, Therese." As I spoke I summoned the accessory I had crafted for her, a silver bracelet with the red gemstone she had provided, and handed it over to her. "I couldn't quite believe you had given me a starfire since those are really rare, but fortunately I had an oracle crystal on hand to use as a base…" My words trailed off upon seeing tears falling from her eyes as she examined the bracelet.

"Is everything okay Therese?" Raphtalia asked concernedly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. It's just…so beautiful…and filled with so much joy," she replied, wiping the tears from her eyes as she looked at me. "Raphtalia had already told me how skilled a craftsman you were, but I never expected it to be such high quality."

"Then why are you crying over it if it's so good?" L'Arc asked confusedly, no doubt a question we all wanted to ask.

None of us, however, were prepared for Therese's reaction as she glared at L'Arc. "Don't you understand L'Arc?! This bracelet has opened up a whole new world for me!" She yelled at him as she dug inside her pack and brought out a huge sack of coins, foisting it in my direction. "Please, have all the money I have as payment!"

Wait, she was offering me everything she had for one bracelet?! I mean, I was flattered that she loved it, but there was absolutely zero way I was robbing her of everything she had for it. "I can't accept that Therese," I said firmly, pushing the sack back towards her. "Seeing you happy with it is more than enough payment for me."

"No please, I insist!" She replied, pushing the bag back towards me. "Such wonderful craftsmanship deserves payment!"

This was getting us nowhere. I could tell she wasn't going to let this go, but at the same time, I didn't want to take any form of payment from her. "Excuse us a minute whilst we sort this out," I apologised to L'Arc and the rest of my party as I waved Therese over to a private spot where we could thrash out a deal. Eventually, we reached a middle ground: I consented to accept some form of payment but refused point-blank to take everything she had, and whilst it took a little convincing she was happy with the amount it came to.

"You two get everything sorted over there?" L'Arc asked us as we rejoined the others, both of us nodding in response. "Great stuff. Now then, since you guys went out grinding yesterday, you probably have a good idea of where we should go today. Is there anywhere in particular that took your fancy?"

"We'd only covered a small part of the island you found us yesterday, so I reckon that'd be a good place to start," I replied after a short period of consideration. "Where are you guys at in terms of levels?"

"I'm at level 56, and Therese here is level 52," L'Arc replied.

"That's perfect since I'm at 58, Raphtalia is at 61, Filo is at 62 and Keel is at 55, so between the six of us we have a decent spread of levels," I said approvingly. "So then, shall we get going?"

"I'm ready." "Let's go already!" "Ready when you are Fergus." My party responded one after the other.

"Sounds good to us!" L'Arc replied confidently as Therese gave me a nod and a smile.

§

Having made our decision, we found a ferryman to take us back over to the island we had been on yesterday. Upon arriving, we were immediately set upon by a group of creatures that greatly resembled penguins from my reality.

"Stand back Shield-kiddo, Therese and I have got this," L'Arc called out as he swept his scythe downward, sending a small arc of light at the mobs which succeeded in taking out the quite of few of them.

"You missed one!" I called back as one of the mobs who had avoided his attack leapt at him. Quickly calling out my Shield of the First Avenger, I got between the penguin and L'Arc, blocking the attack and sending the penguin flying.

"Using a Shield eh kiddo? You really are taking the whole Shield-Hero act seriously."

"What can I say? I like what I like," I replied, grinning. "Don't tell me that's all you've got!"

L'Arc's only response was to chuckle as he ran towards the next group of penguins. As he closed in on them he leapt, somersaulted and with one sweep of his scythe cut them down as he landed before looking back at me with a smirk.

"Show-off…" I muttered as the girls chuckled.

"You must excuse L'Arc, he's just having a lot of fun," Therese spoke up with a smile as she strode up next to me. "Please, allow me to deal with the rest."

"Of course, be my guest," I replied as I stepped aside, giving Therese a clear shot at the remaining penguins as she raised her arm, the red gem on her new bracelet glowing as she started speaking:

"Power of jewels far and wide, I beseech thee to heed my call and come to me. My name is Therese Alexanderite, and I call upon my friends to be the force that destroys my targets: Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!" As she finished chanting her hand lit up with blue flames which she proceeded to throw at the penguins, causing them to let out a cry of pain as they were burnt to a crisp.

"I've never seen magic cast like back before!" Raphtalia exclaimed.

"Me neither, and the chant to cast that spell was pretty unique," I agreed, casting a side-glance at Therese, where I noticed with astonishment that the colour of her hair had changed from blue to dark red. "_Was that because of her magic?_" I wondered, resolving to ask her about it later. "Okay then girls, we can't afford to let them leave us behind! Let's show them what we can do!"

"Right!"

§

Over the course of the day, the six of us really gelled together as a team, and as such every mob we came across was swiftly dispatched. I would go in first and attract the mobs, after which L'Arc, Raphtalia and Filo would engage them in melee combat, the Filolial sticking to her human form for today so that she could continuing testing out her new claw. Keel and Therese would engage from a safe distance, using arrows and magic to bring down any creatures we had missed, and as a result the experience and levels really piled up until we hit the level 70 mark, after which our progress became a lot slower.

"Any ideas why we've stopped gaining as much experience as soon as we hit level 70?" I asked L'Arc as we made our way towards another group of mobs that weren't far from our current location.

"If I had to guess, I'd say the level gap between us and the smaller creatures we've been fighting means we won't get any experience from them any more," L'Arc replied. "if that's the case, we should probably focus on taking down larger monsters from here on out, starting with that big penguin we're coming up to."

"Agreed," I responded, the rest of our group nodding in agreement as we ducked down into a group of nearby bushes to observe what we were dealing with, which turned out to be, as L'Arc said, a larger version of the penguin mobs we had been fighting throughout the day surrounded by a lot of smaller ones.

"If it was just the big guy on its own we'd have been fine, but having the smaller ones around as well is a massive pain," L'Arc commented.

"Any ideas on how to handle this Fergus?" Keel asked.

"I can get the attention of the smaller ones and draw them away from the big guy so that the rest of you can focus on him, but I'll need someone to get rid of the smaller ones once I've got them all gathered."

"Leave that to me," Therese volunteered. "And whilst we're handling them, L'Arc, Raphtalia, Filo and Keel can deal with the boss monster." This got everyone's instant agreement.

"Alright chums let's do this, LEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY JEEEEEENKIIIIIIIIIIINS!" I cried, leaping out from the bushes and dashing towards the mobs as I raised my Shield and activated the skill Hate Reaction, which emitted red swaths of light that passed through all of the smaller creatures, causing them to turn and dash towards me.

"I've got them guys, you all take care of the big one!" I called out as I led the penguins away from their larger counterpart. "Therese, do your thing!"

"Bejeweled Ruby Blaze!" Therese called out from behind me, summoning forth a large batch of blue flames which she hurled towards me. As I looked back, however, I noticed that I was going to hit by the flames as well!

"FERGUS!" Raphtalia screamed, no doubt seeing this as well, but just as she was about to run over L'Arc grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "Let me go L'Arc!"

"Just watch," L'Arc replied calmly.

I braced myself and closed my eyes as the flames fell all around me, and yet the burning sensation I expected to feel never materialised. Confused, I opened my eyes to see the penguins being burnt to a crisp once more amidst the sea of blue flames, and yet for some strange reason, I wasn't affected at all. If anything, my body was feeling a bit lighter as a result, and on top of that, I could no longer feel any of the dull pain I had been experiencing as a result of the Blood Sacrifice. Could it be that Therese's flames had taken away the curse entirely?

"_If her magic can lift such a powerful curse…I shudder to think what else she could be capable of…_" I thought to myself as I suddenly heard a loud cry of pain from nearby. Looking back, I saw that the others had easily taken down the larger penguin whilst Therese and I had been finishing up.

"Hey kiddo, wanna take your pick of the loot we got?" L'Arc asked as I wandered over.

"Sure thing," I replied, and between the pair of us we divided things up pretty equally. I was perfectly content with taking the materials that dropped, and L'Arc was pretty happy with what he and Therese got out of it. The one piece of loot we couldn't figure out however was a small pile of what looked like giant penguin costumes resembling the monster we had just fought. I volunteered to take them so that I could figure out their function, to which L'Arc agreed.

§

"Gotta ask kiddo, what was with that cry when we fought that large penguin?" L'Arc asked me as we were walking back to our hotel later that day.

"Oh, you mean the Leeroy Jenkins thing? Don't worry about it, it'd take too long to explain, and even if I did I doubt it'd make sense," I replied.

"Thank you for joining up with us today, I really enjoyed fighting alongside you," Therese spoke kindly as we stopped and faced each other outside the hotel's entrance.

"We had a wonderful time as well and gained a lot of levels in the process. I'd say that's an excellent day's work," Raphtalia replied.

"I had lots of fun too!" Filo piped up.

"What they said," I spoke up. "If you want, we could do this again tomorrow?"

L'Arc and Therese looked at each other uneasily before L'Arc spoke up. "I think we'll do our own thing tomorrow, no offence. And besides, you guys have been at it for the past two days. I think you ought to take a break."

One look at each of my companions' faces was enough for me to make a decision, and if I was honest I could use a day off as well. "That sounds like an excellent idea. And if you want to team up with us again whilst we here, all you need to do is ask."

"Sounds like a plan kiddo. You guys take it easy alright?" With handshakes all around L'Arc and Therese wandered off to explore the rest of the resort.

"So we're really going to take the day off tomorrow? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Keel asked.

"Since we're struggling to gain levels at the moment I don't see how having one day to ourselves will be a problem," I reassured her. "Besides, given how hard we've worked, I think we deserve some time off don't you?"

"Well when you put it like that, a day off sounds wonderful!" Keel relented.

"It's settled then, we'll take it easy the rest of today, and then tomorrow we'll have a beach day. Sound good?" Judging by their excited responses, I'd say my idea went down very well.

§

"_This feels…really good…_" I thought to myself contentedly as I leaned back on the towel I was sunbathing on, clad in nothing but my shirt and trousers as I closed my eyes and lapped up the sun's rays whilst Filo and Keel enjoyed themselves elsewhere on the beach. Filo was fascinated by the way the waves would encroach onto the beach before retreating and was currently testing how far she could run out before the next wave hit. As for Keel, she was making various sculptures in the sand, carving out whatever details she could into the miniature structures. As for where Raphtalia was, she said she had one or two things to sort out before she could join the rest of us, so we'd gone ahead without her.

"_It's been a while and she still hasn't shown up…I hope nothing's happened to her…_" My thoughts were cut off as a shadow passed into my peripheral vision, which could only mean that someone was standing right over me. "Whoever that is, you'd better have a good reason for interrupting my sunbathing…" I called out.

"It's me…" I heard Raphtalia's voice respond softly, and as I opened my eyes I couldn't help but do a double-take when I saw what she was wearing. She had let her hair down completely so that it was flowing all the way down to her knees and was wearing nothing but a blue bikini, which only served to accentuate her already wonderful body and left a lot of skin on show.

"Um…Fergus…are you okay?" She asked upon noticing my reaction.

"Raphtalia I-" Words failed me as I continued gazing at my girlfriend, drinking in how wonderfully divine she looked right now so that it would be on my mind forever.

"Well…do you like it?" She asked with a shy smile.

"Like it?" I finally managed to stammer. "Babe…I absolutely love it…you look fantastic!"

"I'm glad you do," she replied sweetly as she knelt and pushed me onto my back before proceeding to lay herself on top of me. "I picked it out especially for an occasion like this…"

"Lucky me…" I murmured as I wrapped my arms around her, causing her to let out a small moan of pleasure as my hands touched her bare skin as she pressed herself as close as she possibly could.

"But that's not all I wanted to show you today…" She murmured, her eyes gazing lovingly into mine as she leant her head down and kissed me softly on the lips.

"_Whatever gods are out there, please don't let today ever end…_" I thought to myself hazily as I kissed her back. I don't know how long we made out for, honestly I didn't care, but eventually, our need for oxygen caused us to separate as she slid off my chest and proceeded to snuggle into my side, laying an arm over my chest as she did so. In response, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and held her as close as I could. Before long we were both sound asleep.

"MASTER! RAPHTALIA! Wake up!" Filo's voice rang out, dragging both myself and Raphtalia from our slumber as Filo ran up towards us in her swimsuit, a worried expression on her usually cheerful face.

"What is it Filo?" I asked as I sat up.

"I was just exploring the ocean around us and I found an underwater ruin not far from here!" She exclaimed. "And in the middle of it was this big building that had a red glow coming out from it!"

"How is that possible?" Raphtalia asked.

"I know what I saw Raphtalia!" Filo insisted. "It looked really scary!"

"If it looks as nasty as you say it does, then we should probably check it out just to be safe," I said after a moment of consideration.

"But how are we going to get down there? I know it's okay for Filo since she can hold her breath, but we won't be able to make it that far," Raphtalia queried.

"Fortunately we have a way around that." In response to their confused expressions, I accessed my Inventory System and selected the weird-looking penguin costumes we had looted yesterday. "After looking through their stats yesterday I discovered that these suits allow you to hold your breath underwater for a short time, which means we can use them to explore the ruin Filo found," I explained as the costumes appeared in front of us. "And fortunately there are three of them, so we can all go together."

Our decision made, we told Keel of our change of plans and, after the three of us had donned the costumes, we followed Filo as she led us underwater to where she had found the ruin. It was just as she had described, a collection of underwater ruins with a large brick building that was emitting a red glow from its doorway. However, as we approached the building, we found that the doors were closed tight with no obvious way of opening them.

"_How on earth are we going to get inside?_" I thought to myself as I put my hands on the door in a vain attempt to pull them open. Fortunately for us, my Shield glowed as it came into contact with the doors, which opened wide in response. "_Well that was fortunate…and slightly ominous…_" After passing through the doors and swimming a short way inside, we found a room where we able to get above the water line. But as we did so, we discovered that the room was completely pitch black. None of us could see a thing.

"I don't think we need the suits any more guys," I whispered as we fumbled our way onto a nearby platform. "Hey Raphtalia, you think you can give us some light?" I asked her as the three of us clambered out of the suits

"First Light!" Raphtalia called out, expanding the small ball of light magic gathering between her hands to illuminate the room all around us, which also revealed the unmistakable presence of a Dragon Hourglass towering over us, much to our collective astonishment.

"How could there be a Dragon Hourglass here of all places?" Keel asked as we watched the sands dropping and turning through all of the smaller hourglasses above us.

"Your guess is as good as mine Keel, but whatever the reason, it's not a good sign," I grimaced in response. "Any location that contains a Dragon Hourglass can be attacked by an incoming Wave."

This drew a gasp of horror from Raphtalia. "But if a Wave strikes here…all of the villagers will be in danger!"

"Not if I can help it, because thanks to my Shield we can find out when the Wave is due to strike. With luck, we'll have plenty of time…" I reassured her as I lifted my Shield towards the Hourglass, and as it registered a timer appeared in front of my eyes showing how long we had, causing me to widen my eyes in horror, my companions having a similar reaction upon noticing it too.

The timer read 48 hours. A Wave would be hitting Cal Mira in 2 days.

**Two things of particular note for this chapter: Yes that was a Leeroy Jenkins reference, and as I promised we have the last unique Shield I am inserting in this story. In case you are curious, it's pretty much Mash Kyrielight's Shield from Fate: Grand Order and will be used as a Shield that solely exists to provide buffs. I already have the spells in mind which are influenced by the source material.**

**Aside from that, I can officially confirm we are almost at the end of this story. After this one there are 3 chapters to go, which makes what I am about to say so frustrating: Over the past week or so my head's been a mess mentally and I've been finding life very tough to deal with. But I really wanted to get this chapter out regardless of how I was feeling. So I did the best I could with it, it won't be my finest chapter but I am still happy with it.**

**In terms of the next chapter, I am going away for a long weekend next weekend from the Friday to the Monday. Initially, I was planning to rush the next chapter out for Thursday, but given how I've been feeling recently, I've decided instead to delay the next chapter for the Friday after. That will give me the better part of two weeks to both plan and write the chapter thereby putting me under less stress.**

**So there will be NO CHAPTER next Friday (11****th**** October). Instead, look for chapter 30 to be released on Friday 18****th**** October. I apologise in advance but I believe it's for the best, not only for my health but for the story in general. (UPDATE 19th October: Due to various health issues I haven't been able to get the next chapter out on time. Chapter 30 will instead be up on Friday 25th October along with an explanation)**

**So until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now and I will see you in the next chapter **


	32. Ch 30 - Once More Unto the Breach

**There is a lot to say in this note to explain where I've been and what's been going on, but I will do my best to keep it as short as possible.**

**First of all, I am so sorry for the delay to this story but a lot of health issues cropped up. If I explained the whole thing it would take forever so I will condense it to this: chemical eye burns due to accidental contamination of contact lens solution. The good news is they are doing much better now even though I still can't wear my contact lenses until Tuesday, but that combined with a cold meant I was in no condition to write or publish last week, hence the delay. So frustrating! Because I imagine without the delays I would have finished this story by now, but as it is we have 2 more chapters to go. And I am determined to get it done within the next two weeks as per my usual schedule.**

**And there's been a lot going besides my health in the past few weeks. First of all, Isekai Quartet Season 2 has been announced for January 2020, and as you may have seen the transfer students will be Naofumi, Raphtalia and Filo. I am so looking forward to how they interact with the rest of the characters and will definitely be using that as inspiration for my Isekai Quartet AU fic.**

**In terms of anime, the new seasons of Sword Art Online and Seven Deadly Sins have already started and we've had the first few episodes of both, and it's going good so far! I'm still getting used to the new openings but I'm sure I will love them in time.**

**That means I have 5 anime currently on the go, with another few on my future watch list: SAO, Seven Deadly Sins and Dr Stone which are currently airing, Fairy Tail where I am currently up to episode 89 and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba WHICH I SITLL NEED TO FINISH! Always a good time to be an anime fan.**

**Right then with all of that out of the way, chapter 30 of Rise of a True Shield Hero awaits where our heroes must fight back the next Wave. How will it go down? Let's find out! As always, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 30 - Once More Unto The Breach

"So you're saying there's a Dragon Hourglass located under Cal Mira?!" Motoyasu exclaimed.

"Not only that but according to the timer on the Hourglass, a Wave is going to happen here in two days correct?" Ren asked.

"That's if your story is even true in the first place…what proof do we have that you're telling the truth?" Itsuki accused, causing me to sigh even though I had expected that sort of reaction from him.

After myself and my party had discovered the Hourglass, we had quickly returned to Cal Mira where I quickly tracked down the Earl of Habenburg and asked him to gather the other Heroes and meet with me, stressing the urgency of my request. Thankfully the Earl hadn't argued, and even though the other Heroes had been slightly miffed at being dragged away from their grinding, their tune had completely changed after I had informed everyone of what I had found. We were all currently gathered around a map of Cal Mira in the Earl's estate.

"You are welcome to go and look for yourselves if you don't believe me, but you should know by now I never tell lies, and I would certainly never make up something like this," I replied, glaring at Itsuki.

"To think there is a Dragon Hourglass underneath this island…I wonder how we have never found it before," The Earl mused with his finger directly over where I had marked the approximate location of the Hourglass on the map. He then looked in my direction. "What do you think we should do?"

"Our main priority should be to evacuate the villagers and everyone currently on Cal Mira so that they are out of the firing line of the Wave," I stated bluntly, causing the Earl to panic slightly.

"Do you realise what you are asking? There are hundreds, maybe thousands of people currently on the island! It would be a mammoth task to get them all to leave in time!" He exclaimed. "And even if we could, where would they even go?"

"As long as they are safe, you can take them wherever you wish," I replied. "And if you are so worried about how long it will take, then you'd better get started with the evacuation as soon as possible. Besides, given how long it's taken us to defeat the previous Waves, I estimate we'll be done in a couple of hours, at which point you can bring all of the villagers back."

I let out a sigh before continuing. "I fully understand what I am asking, and I don't expect anyone in this room nor this island will be happy with it. But I would much rather them be alive and angry with me than dead."

"I will begin making the preparations as soon as we are done here then," the Earl consented. "But what about the four of you?"

"That's simple. We'll fight," I replied determinedly, but the other Heroes didn't look so convinced and for the life of me I couldn't understand why. This was a Wave after all, the very same phenomenon we have been summoned to fight against, they shouldn't need any more motivation than that! But then I remembered who I was dealing with. To get these guys on board, I would need to give them some incentive to do so.

And for these three, the best incentive was to appeal to their egos. "Think about it you guys…since the activation event is still up, we'll be getting a juicy amount of experience if we fight in this Wave, making you all a lot stronger in the process. Besides, aren't you all eager to test how much stronger you've become since we got here? The monsters we've been fighting the past few days are boring and no real challenge compared to what we might face in the Waves, which in case you've forgotten are the reason we were summoned here in the first place!"

My appeal did give them food for thought at least, which was better than their previous indifference. Now it was just a matter of whether they would take my bait or not.

"We're not complete idiots you know Fergus," Itsuki eventually replied. "_Could've fooled me!" _"And I can tell you're trying to play us."

"But you are right, that is our responsibility as Heroes after all! We can't turn our backs when a Wave is about to hit!" Motoyasu grinned.

"I'm in," Ren said, which was swiftly followed by nods of agreement from the other two. "I'm assuming you have a plan?"

"I do," I replied, relieved by their acceptance as I leant over the map of Cal Mira. "I'm making a lot of assumptions with what I have planned, but if I am correct, this Wave will be unlike any other we have faced before."

I then pointed to where I had marked the Hourglass on the map. "Given how the Hourglass is located underwater and judging by the immediate geography around Cal Mira, it's a pretty safe assumption that the Wave will occur in the middle of the ocean. This means we'll be fighting on water, and given how everyone's attacking and defensive capabilities will be reduced if we battle directly in the water, we'll need a fleet of ships as well as soldiers who are used to fighting aboard them in order to stand a chance."

I then looked in the Earl's direction. "Can you help with that?" I asked.

"I do have a few ships," he replied. "But I will need them for evacuating everyone off the island. In fact, that may take my entire fleet."

"Of course, that has to be your highest priority," I instantly agreed. "Use as many as you have to, and those that remain can be added to the fleet I'm hoping we'll have."

"So correct me if I'm wrong, but is your plan to transport the ships, as well as the soldiers they're carrying, with us just like we how we have transported soldiers and our parties to the previous Waves?" Motoyasu asked. I nodded in response.

"It's a feasible idea if, as you assume, the Wave does indeed happen over water," Itsuki spoke up, hand to his chin. "But what if you are wrong and the Wave ends up happening on land instead? Every ship we bring will be lost."

"You're right Itsuki, it's a huge risk that we may just have to take," I conceded, having considered this possibility on the way over. "But I'd much rather us lose the ships on land instead of not bringing them along. If we don't have the ships and we do end up fighting on water, we'll be royally fucked."

"That's all well and good, but I think we're all side-stepping the obvious question here. How are you even planning to get the fleet in the first place?" Ren asked. "Whilst we may have a sizeable fortune between the four of us I highly doubt it will be enough to hire the ships we need."

"Leave that to me," I answered. "As soon as we're finished here, I'm going to head back to Melromarc and inform Queen Mirellia of the situation here, and fingers crossed she'll agree to help us out with ships from the Melromarc fleet."

"And how on earth are you going to get her to agree?" Itsuki asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Please don't tell me you are planning to blackmail her to help us, because if you are that's low even for you."

"_Even with my name cleared he still thinks I'd resort to underhanded methods?! Bastard!" _"There will be no need for blackmailing," I replied irritably. "If the Queen is who I think she is she won't stand by whilst the Wave hits. She'll help us of her own free will, I'm sure of it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she has a force already assembled for the next Wave, and if that's the case those soldiers will be able to handle the smaller monsters, leaving the four of us and our parties to focus on the Boss."

"Wait, you're not planning on having us command the battle ourselves?" Motoyasu asked incredulously. "After all, I'm sure we all have plenty of experience in leading large-scale raids in the games we've played."

"I don't doubt that's the case," I replied. "In fact, I can personally attest that I have run plenty of raids consisting of either 10, 25 or 40 players in the past. However, leading a raid group in a game is way different than commanding an army of living soldiers, and besides, I doubt any of us have had any experience with a naval battle. That's why I'm playing it safe and having the four of us focus on our jobs instead whilst a person who knows what they are doing oversees the battle." It took a few seconds of consideration, but eventually, the other Heroes conceded that I was right.

"I should get started with evacuating the island then," the Earl spoke up.

"Good idea, and in the mean-time I'll report to the Queen and ask for her assistance," I said, turning my gaze to the other Heroes. "Whilst I'm doing that, you lot can register with the Hourglass and start preparing yourselves for the Wave."

"Hold on a second, how are we supposed to get to the Hourglass if it's underwater? Actually, how did you even get there in the first place Fergus?" Itsuki asked.

"With these. They may look ridiculous but they allow you to breathe underwater," I replied as I accessed the Inventory System. A moment later, the three penguin costumes landed at my feet in a heap.

"You can't seriously expect us to wear…those things?" Motoyasu asked unhappily.

"It's the only way you're going to get there unless you have another means of breathing underwater," I replied firmly which caused the other Heroes to look between each other uncertainly. Fortunately for them, the Earl had another solution.

"I may not possess much magic, but I can cast a spell that will allow you to breathe underwater for a short period." This got Motoyasu and Itsuki's instant agreement.

"You lot can go if you want to, but I trust that Fergus is telling the truth so I don't need to go," Ren spoke up, causing us all to look at him incredulously. "_Why the hell would he be saying that? Surely he hasn't forgotten he needs to register?!_"

"Um Ren, unless you register with the Hourglass you won't be able to fight in the Wave," I pointed out, only to have Ren glare at me in response.

"I said I'll be fine!" He retorted, but as he spoke I noticed his whole expression was uncomfortable as if he were hiding something from us…and just like that, I had a thought as to what it could be.

"Ren…" I spoke up cautiously. "You're not aquaphobic are you?"

§

As it turns out, Ren was indeed aquaphobic, as Itsuki and Motoyasu demonstrated rather cruelly by chucking him into some shallow water. As they were too busy laughing, I had noticed alarmingly that Ren was starting to drown since he couldn't swim and immediately ran in and rescued him. After giving the other two a well-deserved bollocking I turned to Ren and offered him the use of one of the penguin costumes, which he immediately accepted.

As they went off to check out the Hourglass I teleported with the rest of my party back to Melromarc and immediately went to see the Queen, who after hearing my report instantly agreed to provide a fleet of ships as well as an army to fight the Waves. In fact, she had gone one better by suggesting we recruit adventurers to help bolster our fighting force. So as soon as the teleport function was active again, my party and I went back to Cal Mira, along with a few of the Queen's soldiers who immediately got to work putting up posters which called for any willing adventurers to join the Heroes and the forces of Melromarc in fighting off the next wave.

Before long we were in the countdown of the last few minutes before the Wave hit, making our final preparations aboard the Queen's personal flagship that commanded the fleet she had brought, which was currently resting in the ocean just off the coast of Cal Mira and situated almost directly above where I had found the Hourglass, along with one or two ships that the Earl of Habenburg had been able to provide. Combined with the number of adventurers that had answered our call, as well as the soldiers manning the ships, it was a pretty substantial fighting force that I was confident would hold back the Wave.

"I'm not sure how we managed it in the time we had, but we did," The Queen sighed in relief, firmly gripping the ship's wheel and clad in her armour.

"Even though I was gambling on you accepting my request, even I'm amazed at how quickly you got all of this together," I responded truthfully as I replaced the gauntlet on my left-hand with my Arm-Blade. My party and I were currently standing beside her along with several of her bodyguards.

"It wasn't that difficult of a task," Melty replied from the Queen's other side with a smile. I had been surprised to hear that she was coming along as well. "Preparing for the Waves is one of the royal family's responsibilities!"

"I have to say, I'm surprised that you are out here as well Mel," I replied gently, deciding to be honest. "Make no mistake, I don't doubt your capabilities as a magic-user, but I'd have thought you'd be looking after Melromarc in your mother's absence." Unsurprisingly my words didn't go well with the blue-haired girl as she proceeded to glare at me.

"As the Crown Princess, it is my duty to defend my countrymen!" She replied indignantly which took me aback slightly. "Besides, I thought I was a member of your party? Don't tell me you've kicked me out already!"

"I'm always happy to have you along Mel, and I'm looking forward to fighting alongside you once more!" Filo piped up, giving the Princess a beaming smile which she instantly reciprocated.

"The feeling is mutual Filo, provided Fergus allows me to come?" She replied with a wink in my direction, causing everyone in the vicinity to let out a chuckle.

"You'll always have a place with us as long as you want it Mel," I replied with a smile as I added her back to our party.

"I just hope everyone on Cal Mira made it off safely," Raphtalia spoke up concernedly.

"The Earl got things moving very rapidly once Fergus had informed him about the Wave," The Queen replied instantly, no doubt trying to calm her fears. "Everyone on the island was safely evacuated to Melromarc for the time being."

"I'm glad," Raphtalia replied as she looked at me with a beaming smile. "And thank you for looking out for them," she added softly.

"You know I'd never stand by and let innocent people get hurt if I could do something about it," I replied firmly, which earned me another grateful kiss on the cheek from my girlfriend.

"It's good that you made sure of that as it will allow you and the other Heroes to focus entirely on the Wave," the Queen commented which drew a sigh from my lips.

"It would be even better if the other Heroes had agreed to fight as a team rather than as individuals," I remarked bitterly, spotting all three of them aboard the various ships they were on. Despite mine and the Queen's best efforts, all three of them had flatly rejected any notion of us joining forces, insisting that their own individual strength would be enough to beat the Wave.

"How could they possibly be so selfish at a time when we need to be unified?" Keel wondered.

"Because they believe the levels and power they gained whilst on Cal Mira will see them through," I replied with a despondent sigh. "But in reality, it will make them complacent and ineffective which will end up with them being in danger. No doubt we'll have to bail them out at some point as well as pick up their slack, just like we have done before."

"Look over there everyone!" Raphtalia called out, pointing to the ship over to our immediate right. "It's L'Arc and Therese!" As we looked over to where she was pointing, I saw that it was indeed our old friends from Cal Mira standing at the prow of their ship.

"They must have answered our call for adventurers. I'm glad they showed up," I said.

"Do you all know them?" Melty asked.

"We met them on the boat to Cal Mira, and we actually teamed up with them whilst grinding. They're really strong and super nice," Keel explained.

"I'm glad they are here, their help will be invaluable in the fight to come," Raphtalia said.

"Having seen what they can do first hand I absolutely agree with you. What's more, they'll be far more reliable than the other Heroes," I agreed.

"Well you always do attract the right people to your cause Fergus, that's why we're here with you after all," Melty smiled at me. I smiled back at her whilst at the same time noticing that neither L'Arc or Therese had looked at us during our exchange, nor was there any sign of their usual cheery smiles. "_They must be focused on the upcoming battle,_" I reasoned. "_Speaking of which, it's time for us to do the same_."

As the countdown reached the final two minutes I waved my party around me as I equipped the new Unique Shield I had found on Cal Mira; The Buffing Shield. "According to the tool-tip, one of this Shield's spells will boost everyone's defence for up to an hour," I explained. "So let's give it a try, shall we? Valiant Wall!" In response to my cry, all of my companions glowed bright blue for a second, and as the light faded I saw a small Shield icon pop up next to each of our names, signalling that the spell had worked.

"Okay then everyone, you all know the drill: Fight your hardest, look out for one another, call out your targets and don't try to be a hero," I reminded them as they looked at me determinedly. "if we do that, we'll make it out of this alive and be victorious…" I held my hand out, palm facing the floor. "Are you all with me?"

"YEAH!" They all cried as one as they each laid their hands on top of mine, whereupon we let out one more fierce cry of unity as we raised our hands to the sky. As we all withdrew our hands, Raphtalia instantly grabbed hold of mine and led me over to an area where no-one would disturb us.

"I want you to promise me that you'll come back to me, no matter what," Raphtalia pleaded as we held each other's hands and looked into each other's eyes.

"I always will," I reassured her as I let go of one of her hands and reached below my shirt, pulling out my ruby necklace and holding it out towards her. "After all, when have you ever known me to break a promise?"

Her eyes shone with unshod tears as she grabbed hold of her emerald necklace and held it up next to my own. "Never."

I then tucked my necklace back under my shirt before placing my hands on her shoulders. "Stay safe," I told her. "I love you."

"I will so make sure you do the same," she replied as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "I love you too." With that we shared one final kiss, conveying all the love we shared one for another into this one final act. As we separated, the timer reached zero.

"The fight will begin as soon as we teleport!" The Queen called out as the familiar yellow glow surrounded all of the ships. "Everyone! Prepare for battle!" Everyone on the ships let out a fierce battle-cry as we were all transported to the Wave's location.

§

Just as I hoped, the Wave transported us to an area that was on water which thankfully meant that none of the ships we had brought along were wasted. Just as we were all getting our bearings, the sky changed to its usual pattern whenever a Wave hit.

"So it begins…" I murmured as rifts opened up in the sky, dispensing a small army of aquatic monsters of various shapes and sizes.

"All ships! Start unloading your barrels!" Mirellia commanded, and as we watched every ship's crew proceeded to do just that. Before long the water around the ships was littered with these barrels.

"_What is Her Majesty up to?_" I wondered as the monsters started hitting the water all around us, but just as they were doing so the barrels started exploding one after the after, sending purple liquid into the water and stunning the monsters all around them.

"What just happened?" Keel asked out loud

"Those barrels were full of cohol fruit, rigged to explode as soon as they made contact with the water!" A crewman responded. "We should have fewer monsters to deal with as a result!"

"_Concentrated alcohol that's rigged to explode, and which affects monsters in the same way as humans? That's absolute genius! I'm glad she's the one in charge!_" I marvelled with a glance in the Queen's direction. But that was just the start!

"Archers! Open fire!" At her command, arrows rained from the deck of every ship as bow-wielding knights and adventurers opened fire on the stunned monsters, killing many of them as they struggled to recover.

"Let them have it! Don't hold up for a second!" I yelled encouragingly.

"Fergus! Look over there!" Keel called out as she pointed directly ahead of us, and following where she was pointing I saw exactly what had caught her attention. A large shape was moving through the water on a direct path towards our ships, and as it surfaced for air I saw that it resembled a large whale from my reality. If I had to take a quick approximate guess I would say it was anywhere between 125 to 150 metres in length, although what stood out the most was the large narwhal-like horn protruding from its head. As it came even closer, another large health bar appeared at the top of my Status Menu which read 'Inter-Dimensional Whale'.

"That's the Wave's boss! If we take that thing down we'll win!" I called out.

"But how are we going to strike it if it's underwater?" Raphtalia yelled in response. Before I could say any more I heard Itsuki call out an attack.

"Meteor Shot!" We all turned to watch his attack shot straight towards the Whale, but as it closed in the Whale dove under the Water causing the attack to miss.

"_Damnit! He had the right idea, but as long as it's underwater we won't be able to land a hit!_" "If we're going to have any shot of killing this thing we'll need to find some way of getting it out of the water!" I yelled as I desperately tried to pinpoint exactly where the Whale was heading, but since it had dived really deep I couldn't see where it was. That was until it suddenly broke the water's surface and cut through the middle of one of the ships with its horn, causing it to start splitting apart!

"Someone get that thing the hell out of the water!" I heard Ren's voice cry out in panic. "_Of all the ships it could have hit, it just had to be his!_" I cursed. "_I hope everyone on that ship is okay, but at least we know where it is now!_"

"Alright everyone listen up!" I called out, unwilling to waste this opportunity. "Filo and I are going to dive and get it out of the water! Once that happens, have everyone open fire on the thing! Keel, you get on one of those harpoon guns and fire at it as soon as you get a shot! Raphtalia, you along with Mel and everyone else are to defend the ships from any of those monsters that sneak aboard! Understood?!"

"UNDERSTOOD!" Everyone yelled in response.

"Okay then Filo, let's go!" I said to her as I leapt atop her back, bringing out my Karma Penguin Shield as I did so.

"OKEY-DOKEY!" She yelled as, with a running leap, we dove into the water and immediately started giving chase.

"_Thank goodness this Shield allows me to breathe underwater for a while,_" I thought to myself as we closed in on the Whale, Filo's speed ensuring that it wouldn't slip away from us. "_Right then, time for me to play tank!_" "Here goes…HATE REACTION!" I cried, my voice muffled due to us being underwater, but that didn't matter as the spell activated and sent a red swath of light directly at the Whale. As it struck, the Whale stopped and turned around, it's large eyes focused on me and Filo.

"_It took the bait!_" I enthused as I gave Filo a single pat on the neck. In response, she immediately shot towards the surface, and as I looked behind I saw the Whale following on very close behind as it gave chase. With a huge surge of momentum, Filo quickly broke the surface of the water and leapt high into the air, and a few seconds later the Whale did the same thing, leaving itself exposed in the process.

"EVERYONE! ATTACK NOW!" I cried as I switched to my Voice Gengar Shield and at my command every archer and magic-caster in the fleet fired at the Whale, bombarding its hide with arrows and every manner of spell. They were joined by the other Heroes who attacked using Meteor Thrust, Meteor Slash and Meteor Shot respectively.

"_Complacent assholes…do they really think those basic attacks will work?_" I thought in exasperation as Filo and I glided through the air, and I was proven right when all of the attacks, including the Heroes', either bounced away harmlessly or did very little damage to the Whale as it crashed back down into the water, firing off another yellow beam of light from its horn that once again caused major damage to one of the ships. However, just as it was about to submerge once more, a harpoon bolt pierced its side causing it to let out a scream of pain just before it went back beneath the water.

"_Where did that come from?_" As I looked around all of the ships to find the source of the harpoon bolt, my eyes spotted Keel from the deck of the main ship giving me a thumbs-up. Could it be…had her shot really done that much damage?

"_Even though the other Heroes out-level her considerably she still did more damage to it than all of them combined!_" I marvelled to myself as I guided Filo towards the mast of a nearby ship, intending to use the height to try and spot where the Whale would surface next.

§

After landing on the mast Filo and I took a quick breather since there was nothing we could do except wait for the Whale to give away its location, and as we did so I took a quick look around to see how the rest of the battle was going.

For the most part, the strategy the Queen and I had put together was working really well: More barrels of cohol fruit were being dumped into the water as more monsters spawned from the sky, which was effectively keeping a lot of them at bay as any archers on hand were able to take out the stunned creatures.

As for those who had escaped the blasts, they had managed to make their way onto the ships where they were currently battling the other Heroes, knights and adventurers, and despite the overwhelming numbers, the defenders were doing a great job at holding them at bay.

I then turned my gaze to the main ship where the Queen and the rest of my party currently were, and was relieved to see that they too were holding off the Wave's minions, with the Queen herself taking the lead using a mix of ice and wind magic to cut them down which in turn was inspiring everyone else aboard the ship to greater heights. Raphtalia was right in the heart of the melee, using quick and precise strikes of her blade to cut down any monster that got in her way. She was currently back to back with Melty, protecting the Princess who was striking down monsters with water bolts and slashes. And since the Whale was currently out of her range, Keel was picking off whatever monsters she could with her arrows.

That was until the monsters got within melee range which forced her to revert to her back-up weapon. Since I had anticipated the fighting being in tight quarters, I had purchased a dagger for her during our preparations and, along with Raphtalia, had got in some last-minute practice so that she could handle herself at close-quarters. And judging by the small pile of bodies around her she seemed to be handling herself just fine.

However just as I was watching Keel disaster struck! One of the monsters was able to slip through the mass of fighting as well as her bodyguards to grab Melty from behind, causing her to scream!

"MEL!" Both Filo and I yelled out, but just as I was about to order Filo to leap off the mast so that we could go save her my attention was suddenly diverted as the Whale decided to surface and fire a yellow beam of light our way at that very same moment! I quickly switched to my Shield of the First Avenger and tanked the attack successfully, but that distraction was enough as the monster which had grabbed Melty made a dash towards the edge of the ship. Her bodyguards, Raphtalia, Keel and even the Queen did their very best to try and save her but were held back by the huge mass of monsters already on the ship, and as such, they could only watch on in horror as the monster leapt over the side of the ship.

"NO! MELTY!" I yelled in horror.

"MEL!" Filo cried out in despair but there was nothing we could do apart from watch as the monster dropped towards the water with its prey. However, just as it was about to hit the water a sudden swath of red light cut through the sky as a figure charged the monster, cleaving it in half whilst grabbing Melty with their other arm in one swift motion. As the figure safely deposited Melty back aboard the ship I saw exactly who it was and breathed a massive sigh of relief at their identity. After all, there was only one person I knew who had red hair like that: L'Arc!

"_L'Arc you beautiful bastard…_" I thought to myself as Filo let out a massive sigh of relief, but just as I was about to call out to him he suddenly turned around and with one swipe of his scythe dispatched the rest of the monsters on the ship with the same tornado-like attack I had seen him use before called Skybound Wheel Swing, and as the last monster fell Melty ran up to him, no doubt thanking him for saving her life. Their brief conversation resulted in L'Arc looking in my direction with a slight frown as if he'd just heard something he didn't like. "_What that was about…?_" I wondered before giving my head a quick shake. That could wait until later, right now we had a Boss to deal with.

"L'ARC!" I yelled into my Voice Gengar Shield. "Do you want a shot at taking that thing down?"

After a brief period of consideration, he nodded before proceeding to hold out his arm horizontally and lifting it slightly, a signal that I quickly interpreted as his way of saying 'Get the monster out of the water and back into the sky.' "Filo! Into the water, one more time!" I called to her.

"Right!" She responded as we dove into the water once more, where just like last time we closed in on the Whale before using Hate Reaction to taunt it, and after it took the bait Filo leapt out of the water once more with it right on our tail. "He's all yours L'Arc!" I called into my Shield.

"Here we go! SKYBOUND WHEEL SWING!" L'Arc yelled as he let fly with the same spinning tornado attack from before, inflicting several deep cuts along the Whale's head and body which caused it to let out a huge cry of pain.

"It's our turn Filo, give him hell!" I called out to her as we soared above the wounded monster, and in response she tucked her wings and dive-bombed straight towards it. As we got close she lashed out with her talon as I extended out my Arm-Blade, which combined with the speed of the descent caused more deep cuts along its skin. "Great job! Let's rebound and go again!"

"Got it!" She yelled back as we adjusted our course towards a nearby ship, where she proceeded to use her talons to bounce off the rigging, using the momentum from our descent to propel us straight at the Whale's head.

"Wait for it…wait for it…Okay, let's go!" With those words I leapt off of Filo's back and activated my Iron Shield, trusting that the momentum from our rebound would take me the rest of the way by itself. In response Filo's talons lit up as we called out our next attacks:

"SPIRAL STRIKE!" "SHIELD BASH!" I cannoned straight into the Whale's chin Shield first as our attacks struck at the same time, causing the Whale to rear it's head back. As Filo dove downwards so that I landed safely on her back, we heard another voice cry out from below us:

"LIGHT ARROW!" A glowing arrow shot past my head before piercing the Whale's eye, causing it to let out another loud cry of pain.

"_Great job Keel!_" "It's on the ropes, let's finish it off!"

"We're on it!" L'Arc called out as he leapt atop the figurehead of the Queen's ship. "Therese!"

"Of course! Bejeweled Thunderstorm!" Lightning flew from the magic caster's hands, but instead of the Whale, she directed it straight towards L'Arc.

"_What is she…Oh I see, they're using a combo skill!_" I realised as the lightning from Therese's spell wrapped itself around the blade of L'Arc's scythe, causing the whole weapon to spark away. Yet that didn't faze L'Arc one bit as he jumped towards the Whale.

"COMBO SKILL: THUNDERSTORM WHEEL SWING!" He roared, swinging his scythe at the creature just like before. This time however the Whale was engulfed in a lightning tornado that not only amplified the pain from it's previous wounds but also caused a multitude more cuts, whittling down the Whale's health until it finally reached zero whereupon it reared it's head back with one more cry pain before landing with a huge splash on the water's surface.

"WE DID IT!" Filo cried out happily as I let out a sigh of relief. Even though this Wave should have been a lot more difficult than the one before, we had managed to beat it back successfully without too many casualties, and that was all down to the fact that everybody had pulled their weight and banded together in order to hold back the Wave's minions, allowing myself, my party, L'Arc and Therese to strike down the Boss.

§

Seeing that L'Arc had landed and was currently standing on the Whale's corpse, I directed Filo to land there as well so that I could thank him for all of his help. But even after touching down L'Arc didn't turn to look at us, nor did he look happy in any way which was unusual for him.

"_He must be tired from the battle…_" "L'Arc," I called out cautiously as I slid down from Filo's back. "Thank you so much for saving Melty's life and for helping us take down the Whale. We wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

A soft chuckle escaped from L'Arc's lips as he turned his head to look at me, and yet his reply lacked any of his usual joviality: "Not a problem…after all, there's no way you'd have beaten it using that defence-orientated Shield."

"_Whatever Mel told him has really got him bothered…_" I thought to myself with a frown, but I decided not to pry. "You're right about that…now then, how much of the loot do you and-"

"FERGUS!" A very familiar voice cried out, cutting off whatever I was about to say as I turned to look in the direction it had come from. Raphtalia and Keel had just leapt off of a small boat and were now heading in our way, Raphtalia dashing ahead with a relieved expression on her face. As she closed in I opened my arms towards her and needing no invitation she threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around me as we proceeded to embrace each other tightly. "We did it, Fergus! We survived another Wave!" She cried into my ear.

"We sure did, thanks to everyone's efforts!" I replied as I cuddled her close, catching her lips in a quick smooch before turning to look at Keel as she arrived on the scene. "Have to say Keel, those were some amazing shots, you really did a number on the Whale!" I told her as Raphtalia and I separated.

"I was just glad to be of help!" Keel replied abashedly, but she was grinning broadly as we exchanged a fist-bump. As we were doing so I noticed Therese had rejoined L'Arc.

"Now that we're all here, on behalf of myself and my party, thank you both so much for all of your help in defeating the Wave." I addressed them, bowing deeply as my companions followed with their own thanks.

"HEY! FERGUS!" A very familiar voice called out from nearby, causing me and the rest of my party to groan.

"_What does that idiot want now?_" I thought in exasperation as I turned to see the other Heroes pulling up in a boat of their own.

"Great work on the Boss, you and your new friend really did a number on it!" Motoyasu continued with a grin as he made his way towards us.

"What are you guys even doing here? The fight is over, we can head back." I pointed out, slightly irritated by his tone.

"We're here for the loot obviously," Ren replied.

"The item drops from the Wave's monsters belong to all of the Heroes, so we're just here to collect our share," Itsuki continued as they started making their way towards the Whale's head.

And just like that, my mood instantly went from cautious joy to full-blown anger. Just when I thought I couldn't be any more annoyed by their antics they just had to go and one-up themselves. All three of these bastards hadn't done anything of note to warrant them getting any of the loot from the boss. Just like the adventurers and knights around them they had barely left a mark on it!

They should be embarrassed by how little they did, not swanning in and taking away the loot from those more deserving!

"That…is not going to happen…" I growled as I moved to block their path.

"Huh? What are you talking about Fergus?" Motoyasu asked confusedly as the other members of my party, picking up on my intent and my mood gathered around me.

"I said, THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN YOU ENTITLED SHITS!" I yelled. "None of us are entitled to anything just because we're the Heroes. In order to earn the rewards you have to put in the required effort first, and from what I saw you three did absolutely nothing of note during that entire fight! Yeah, you may have killed a few monsters, but so did many other people and I don't see them clamouring around us expecting a reward! You lot had one job to do and that was help defeat the Boss, and you couldn't even do that, and for that you deserve jack-shit! Instead, you lot should be fucking ashamed that once again me and my party, along with two adventurers, were the only ones who damaged and defeated the Boss! The loot belongs to L'Arc and Therese since they were the ones who dealt the finishing blow, and that's all there is to it!"

To say all three of them were pissed would be a massive understatement but I didn't care. Someone had to put them in their place and I was the only one who could do that. "Quit trying to hog all the loot Fergus, we deserve it just as much as-!" Itsuki protested before he was suddenly cut off by L'Arc

"You lot…you're the supposed Heroes of legend?" The red-haired adventurer asked, and my eyes widened as I heard the tone behind his words. I had never heard L'Arc speak with such venom before, and a quick look behind me showed his expression was just as disgusted. "Is this your idea of a joke? Because no-one is laughing! Weaklings like you can't protect a thing!" With those words he swung his scythe backwards, and I immediately realised what he was going to do!

"SHIELD PRISON!" I yelled, the familiar cage of shields springing up around me and my party just in time, and yet despite the added protection we were still blown back a little by the force of L'Arc's attack. As the prison faded I saw that the other Heroes had all been flung to the ground and were struggling to get back to their feet, L'Arc's strike having seemingly knocked the breath out of them.

"Was that…did L'Arc just attack all of us?" Keel asked.

"Why would he do that?" Raphtalia asked, dismayed.

"That's what I'd like to know," I muttered as we turned to face L'Arc who was still wearing the same disgusted expression. What was even more concerning was that Therese didn't look as though she had even batted an eye. "So tell me L'Arc…are you going to explain what the hell that was all about?" I asked.

L'Arc hafted his scythe across his shoulders before responding. "So you were telling the truth after all…you really are Fergus Ward, the Shield-Hero."

"_So he's finally accepted the truth…_" "You should know by now that I never tell a lie L'Arc," I replied. "And I'm glad that you aren't freaking out about it, just like I asked. But indulge my curiosity, when did you realise it?"

"Your blue-haired friend let it slip after I rescued her," "_That explains why he looked so upset after he talked to Mel then._" He let out a sigh before continuing. "Seems like you and your girl were right after all, there's no way you are anything like the rumours we've heard. But that doesn't change what's about to happen."

"What do you mean? What exactly is going to happen?"

In response, L'Arc pointed his scythe in my direction, the blade aiming right between my eyes. "For the sake of our world…you gotta die," he stated grimly.

§

Betrayal. When you come to know someone really well, only to have them turn against you.

I never thought I'd have to suffer it when I came to this new world, but I was proven wrong when I was back-stabbed by my own party member. Getting to know someone, building up what I thought was a sense of trust, only to have that thrown back in my face…there aren't many worse feelings than that.

What made it worse, however, was how pre-orchestrated it had been, right down to the very last detail. It wasn't just some spur of the moment act, everyone involved knew exactly what was going down and they had all played their parts to perfection. They'd gotten exactly what they had desired in order to put me in the worst possible scenario, all for their desire to screw over the Shield-Hero. Granted I had managed to avert it from being a complete disaster by preventing Bitch from stealing my belongings, but their main goal had been achieved: Everyone had turned against me, including the other Heroes, and no-one had been prepared to listen to me even when I spoke out in my defence, instead choosing to believe the poor, defenceless girl who was masterminding the whole thing.

And then Trash had twisted the knife further by having the false rumours spread all over Melromarc so that no-one would trust me, hoping that I would wither and die and be out of their hair permanently.

But they hadn't known who they were fucking with. Instead of being cowed I rose up and got the last laugh on them. With the help of my friends and the allies I made along the way, I had thwarted their schemes and left everyone involved completely humiliated as their lies were exposed for the whole world to hear. Trash and Bitch were now laughing stocks of the entire kingdom, and my name had been completely cleared, my reputation restored.

With that behind me, I thought I could move on and get back to the real reason why I came to this world: To fight against the Waves alongside my friends. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be betrayed for a second time.

But I was wrong, so very wrong. And what made this betrayal sting more than the last one were the people doing it because even though I had taken Bitch into my party I hadn't fully trusted her, which was why her betrayal hadn't hurt so much. Had it shocked and angered me? Of course! But unlike this time, that betrayal hadn't let me feeling so confused and heartbroken.

L'Arc and Therese…me and my party had become good friends with them, we'd laughed and fought and drank alongside one another, and heck with our combined strength we had just defeated a Wave together! And now L'Arc, cheerful and bubbly L'Arc who had affectionately called me Shield-kiddo, who had given myself and Raphtalia plenty of playful ribbing about our relationship, had just told me flat-out that I had to die.

"_Why?!_" I thought to myself despairingly. "_Why is this happening again, now of all times, and with people like this?!_" Judging by the expressions of my companions, they were taking this revelation just as badly. Raphtalia in particular looked as though she was about to cry.

"Why L'Arc…?" She sobbed on the verge of tears. "Why would you say that…after everything we've been through together?"

If there was any small crumb of comfort to all of this, it was that neither L'Arc or Therese seemed happy about it. "For what it's worth, we have nothing against you personally," he stated grimly. "Heck, we really like all of you guys, and we enjoyed spending time with you…but that doesn't matter any more."

"It's true, please believe us!" Therese pleaded sorrowfully. "It's unfortunate that it has to be this way, especially since you have all been so kind to us, but we don't have a choice in the matter."

"Why though…?" Keel pleaded desperately, still refusing to believe this was really happening. "What has Fergus even done to make you want to kill him?"

"Do you even realise what you are saying? If you kill me, or any of the other Heroes, you'll be leaving this world vulnerable to the Waves!" I followed up.

"We know," L'Arc replied coldly, the sharpness of his reply punching another hole in my gut. "That's what we're going for."

"Why would you even want that?!" Raphtalia cried.

"L'Arc, they won't understand unless we explain the situation," Therese told her companion in a soft voice, causing him to let out a groan.

"Ugh what a pain…fine then…long story short, the two of us are Heroes just like you, and we come from another world. Got it?" He relented.

We all gasped at his revelation. "Wait…are you telling me that there are really other worlds out there?" I asked.

"Indeed," Therese responded with a nod. "And just like this one, our world is also teetering on the brink of destruction because of the Waves, and as far as we know there is only one way to stop it…"

"Let me guess…by killing the Heroes of this world and letting the Wave consume it…" I finished.

"Right in one Fergus," L'Arc confirmed. "Just like you and your friends, we too have things to fight for, a world and it's people that are counting on us to succeed. As such, we can't afford to lose." With those words, he crouched down into a battle stance. "But out of respect for you, we'll keep this fight fair and square…no attacks from behind, no underhanded techniques, a simple fight to the death. So get ready…Shield-Hero!"

Rather than clearing things up, their explanation had raised several alarming questions in my mind: If these two were from another world…could there be many more worlds out there, all suffering as a result of the Waves? And if there were, did these worlds have Heroes such as the four of us, L'Arc and Therese? And now that it had to come light that these Waves affected more worlds than just our own, what was its true nature? And was there any real way of stopping them from occurring? After all, many more lives were at stake than I could have possibly fathomed…millions, billions…maybe even trillions!

But those were all questions to be dealt with later, right now I had to focus on the present situation. I could tell there was no going back for L'Arc and Therese, they had obviously decided that the fate of their world relied on killing myself and the other Heroes. They were fighting for more just themselves, but for that matter so was I, and I wasn't prepared to stand by and let people I cared for in this world die from the Waves, even if I had to fight people I had come to know as friends. We had reached the point of no return...

"Hey…that's not funny y'know…" I heard Motoyasu groan from behind me. With the shock of L'Arc and Therese's betrayal as well as the startling revelations they had made, I had completely forgotten that the other Heroes were even here!

"Heroes from another world huh? A likely story…" Itsuki muttered as I turned my head I saw they had all gotten to their feet and were currently staring down L'Arc and Therese.

"You're just like that other woman from the last Wave…if we beat you, it will end and we'll get our reward!" Ren cried out. My eyes widened as I saw what they were about to do.

"Hey! Don't do anything-!" But my words were wasted as Itsuki shot an arrow at L'Arc, but the scythe-user was able to effortlessly deflect it as Motoyasu and Ren charged in to double-team him. Yet despite the two-on-one assault, L'Arc was easily able to fend them off and with a few quick strikes sent them flying into Itsuki, causing them all the collapse to the ground once more. -"stupid…why I do even waste my breath with them any more?" I finished with a sigh.

"Here's your final warning: Stay down," L'Arc told them icily. But as he was speaking I suddenly picked up a chorus of whistling sounds from my left, and as I looked over I saw a rain of arrows heading straight at L'Arc and Therese. "_The Queen must have ordered everyone to shoot at them!_" I realised.

"Everyone get down!" I yelled at my party. They needed no urging as Raphtalia wrapped herself around me. I raised my Shield to defend us whilst Keel took cover underneath Filo's wings. Therese had other ideas however as she raised a hand and formed a swirling magic barrier above herself and L'Arc, keeping them safe as the arrows rained down around them. Once the volley had passed, L'Arc nodded at Therese who nodded in return as she raised a hand towards the fleet.

"Bejeweled Meteor Shower!" She cried, her hair changing colour once more from blue to red as she cast the spell, and in response, a swarm of blue meteors materialised in the sky and started falling straight towards the ships!

"NO! DON'T DO IT!" I cried, but I was too late, and I could only watch on helplessly, falling to my knees as the meteors impacted every single ship causing them to burst into flames!

"_Mel…the Queen…all those soldiers and adventurers…"_ I thought despairingly as my companions all gasped in shock at what had happened. All those innocent lives were now in grave danger…at the hands of someone I thought I could trust! With this thought, my despair instantly turned to anger as I turned to glare at the magic-caster. "Is this really what you want?! All of those people are innocent, and you've just condemned them to death just because they are part of this world! Why?!"

"Please…Therese…this isn't like you…please stop this!" Raphtalia cried despairingly.

"Yeah, the Therese we know isn't this heartless…not unless she's a bloody good actress…" Keel growled.

"Therese…" L'Arc said tersely. She nodded in response.

"Bejeweled Silver Lining!" She called out, hand raised once more towards the fleet of ships as a small rain shower developed over the fleet, putting out the fires she had created.

"_Thank goodness…I knew she couldn't be that heartless…_" I thought with relief as my party members all let out relieved sighs of their own. I picked up movement in the corner of my eye and looking over spotted the other Heroes being carried onto boats by their party-members before being ferried away. With them now out of the picture, it was now truly going to be a straight fight: Myself and my party against L'Arc and Therese.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to make you all worry like that…" Therese said, and judging by her expression and tone she meant every word. "I just wanted to ensure our fight would be uninterrupted. Everyone aboard those ships should be relatively unharmed."

"Thank goodness…" Raphtalia murmured.

"Therese…for what it's worth…thank you…for not killing them…" I said gratefully, which she responded to with a simple nod.

"Raphtalia, Filo, Keel," L'Arc spoke up, his gaze fixed on my companions. "This fight isn't about the three of you. The only one we're after is Fergus, so please stay out of this."

"We only have one target, we don't want to hurt any of you," Therese added.

"_Whilst I appreciate that they are looking out for my friends, I think they might have forgotten who exactly they are talking to…_" I thought to myself with a small smile, and I was proven right as my companions responded.

"You're mad if you think I would ever abandon Fergus!" Raphtalia cried angrily as she came to my side, sword raised. "Not only am I the Sword of the Shield-Hero, but Fergus is the love of my life, and I will not allow anyone to harm him so long as I have breath left in me!"

"If you want to hurt Master I'm going to kick your butts!" Filo yelled as she too stood at my side.

"I really wish it hadn't come to this. After all, I have no desire to hurt either of you…but if you are going to try and kill Sir Fergus, the man who saved my life, then you'll have to deal with me as well!" Keel stated firmly, nocking an arrow to her bow.

"Girls…" I replied, giving them all a grateful look as I was once more extremely touched by their loyalty and willingness to fight alongside me. I then returned my gaze to L'Arc and Therese. "If you haven't realised by now, the four of us are a team, we stick by each other through thick and thin. And whilst I am touched that you are looking out for them as well…" I activated my Soul-Eater Shield and raised it determinedly in their direction.

"If you want me, you're going to have to deal with them too."

**And that is where we are ending things! I know I'm a bit cruel but I promise that next week will be full of action as the brawl gets underway!**

**Now then, changes! The first scene with the Heroes and the Earl as well as the reveal of Ren's aqua-phobia was inspired by the manga. Not sure why the anime chose to cut that out but I wanted it in this story. The part about recruiting adventurers to fight alongside the Heroes was also inspired by the manga. **

**Since Keel is the archer of the group it made sense she was on harpoon duty instead of Raphtalia, plus she was able to get a shot at the Whale before L'Arc finished it off. Also, Fergus was able to get in shots of his own using the Arm-Blade and Shield Bash.**

**And of course Fergus, being a raid leader who oftentimes had to manage loot distribution, would be absolutely pissed that the other Heroes would try and claim the loot they had zero right to. Lastly, he was able to quickly pick up on what L'Arc was about to do and acted accordingly. And I felt like I needed to add in the small internal monologue for Fergus in the wake of L'Arc and Therese's betrayal to see how it affected him.**

**There was also an introduction to the abilities of the Buffing Shield before the Wave started. At the moment I have the following three spells for it, but more can and probably will be added down the line: Again they are all inspired by the source material (Fate: Grand Order) and each spell can only be cast once per day:**

**1\. Valiant Wall - increases the defence stat of the caster and his party for 1 hour  
2\. Defiant Wall - provides a limited-time invulnerability buff to the caster or the designated party-member (I'm thinking 15-30 seconds)  
3\. Rousing Wall - Temporarily increases caster's defence for a short amount of time (again 15-30 seconds) whilst also drawing the attack of a single opponent.**

**Once again I am so sorry for the delay but at the end of the day my health has to take priority, but I am back now and looking forward to finishing off this story. Thank you all for sticking around and for every favourite, follow and review, they are all greatly appreciated. The next chapter should be out on schedule for next Friday, so until then this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now and I will see you then!**


	33. Ch 31 - Why We Fight

**Before we get down to business with the penultimate chapter there are one or two things I need to mention. First of all during my time away the other week, I started going through my first few chapters and noting corrections that I plan to make, and I plan to do the same for most of my chapters up to about 21 or 22 after this story ends. So even though the story might be done I will still be working on it for a while after, at least until the sequel.**

**And other things I completely forgot to add in were some additional abilities/alternate names for abilities. For example, Itsuki's Ring of Destruction should really be Arrow Volley or Barrage but at the time I was playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey and that influenced my line of thinking. That will be one of the things I change when I make my revisions. I have also added a few more abilities for Keel that will also be carried over to Itsuki, one or two for Motoyasu and some additional techniques I can use for Fergus in the next story once he is done with his refinements. Expect to see one or two of Keel's additional skills in this chapter.**

**With those bits out of the way I hope you enjoy Chapter 31, the penultimate chapter of Rising of a True Shield Hero where our heroes take on L'Arc and Therese. I hope you enjoy, and as always I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward.**

Chapter 31 - Why We Fight

L'Arc didn't waste any time as he charged straight towards me, and seeing that Keel had her arrow aimed straight at Therese thereby pinning her down allowed me to place all my focus on blocking L'Arc's attack. As his blade and my Shield clashed resulting in a weapon lock, Raphtalia and Filo tried to take advantage to strike at L'Arc from above.

However, with a speed that seemed almost impossible L'Arc suddenly broke the weapon lock and as I backed off seemed to split his scythe in two which allowed him to block both Raphtalia's and Filo's attacks, causing them both to gasp in astonishment. But L'Arc wasn't done there as he proceeded to call out another skill: "Air Scythe Suite: First Stance: Wind Blowout!" This attack produced two small tornadoes from each scythe that succeeded in pushing both girls back, allowing L'Arc to breeze past them once again to land another blow on my Shield. This time however I activated the Shield, causing it to come to life and bite down on his right arm. With a cry of pain L'Arc quickly freed himself and leapt back to their side of the battlefield.

"Are you okay L'Arc?" Therese called out worriedly on seeing her companion get hurt.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" L'Arc grunted as he shook feeling back into his arm. "It didn't hurt me at all, although it does sting a little…" He then looked over in my direction with a grin. "Gotta say, Fergus, that was a neat trick you just pulled baiting me in like that, you sure know how to keep things interesting!"

"I knew you'd be on guard for Raphtalia and Filo to try and attack you again, hence why I changed things up a little and attacked you directly," I replied, smirking. "But that's not all I'm capable of, I've got plenty more tricks up my sleeve!"

"That's what I like to hear! But I wonder if you'll be able to deal with THIS!" With those words, L'Arc rushed in to attack me once.

"_He's charging me with the same attack he just used…is his excitement for battle making him over-confident?" _I wondered as I moved to block the attack again, my intent this time to take it on my Shield before using my own strength to force L'Arc back. But as our weapons clashed once more I wasn't prepared for the sudden agony I felt in my shoulder, causing me to let out a cry of pain as though L'Arc's weapon had struck my shoulder even though I had clearly blocked it.

"FERGUS!" Raphtalia cried.

"I've got you Fergus!" Keel called out from behind me, and as my Shield continued to hold back L'Arc's scythe I suddenly saw, out of the corner of my eye, Keel duck down and take a knee beside me, her arrow aiming straight at L'Arc. "Point-Blank Shot!" She cried, loosing the arrow before any of us could react which struck L'Arc right in the chest and sent him flying back.

"Bejeweled Sin Flame!" Therese cried out, Keel's actions freeing her up to shoot a wave of blue fire in my direction. I moved to block it with my Shield but it dissipated before it reached me. At the same time, I felt the pain in my shoulder recede. "_Those flames were meant to strike me not heal me…what just happened?_" I wondered.

"I'm sorry…" A soft voice suddenly called out that I didn't recognise…but it wasn't any of us who had spoken so where had the voice come from?

"No, I understand…" I heard Therese respond and as we all looked over we saw that she was addressing the bracelet on her wrist, the very same one I had crafted for her. "You obviously don't want to fight him, and as such I won't force you to."

"_Wait a second…did that voice…come from Therese's bracelet? She must have a really deep connection to her jewels in order to communicate with them like that. And the fact it expressed its desire like that…how much of myself did I put into crafting it?_" I wondered as my party gasped in surprise at what just happened.

"Therese, is everything alright?" L'Arc called out as he returned to her side.

"Everything's fine, I'll just switch to another one," she replied, and the ensuing lull in our fight allowed me to ponder about how L'Arc's last attack had been able to strike me, even though I had cleared tanked it, whilst at the same time switching out my Arm-Blade with my regular gauntlet since right now it was being more of a hindrance.

"_Let me see…could it have ignored my defence stat entirely? It's possible but I doubt it since I probably would have felt a lot more pain as a result…_" I theorised. "_And it can't be a phasing weapon either since the attack clearly struck my Shield. Was it an attack meant to break my Shield? It's a possibility, and since my Shield can't be broken then maybe the attack did the next best thing and simply ignored my Shield…but again if that had been the case I would have felt a lot more pain since he hit it with the tip, which would no doubt have pierced right into my shoulder…_"

As Therese was clipping another bracelet around her wrist, another theory suddenly came to my mind. "_What if the attack was meant to do damage in relation to one of my stats? Can't have been my strength since that's still pretty low, but what about…that's it! Could it have done damage in relation to my defence stat? After all, that is really high, and the pain I just felt could be equivalent to that much damage. Right then, I'll lead with that and go from there…_"

"...So then Fergus, how did you like that one?" L'Arc's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Time to see if my theory was correct.

"That was a pretty nifty trick you just pulled there. Of all the things I was expecting, a defence-reversal attack wasn't one of them!" I replied causing L'Arc to grin at me. I had been right!

"It's a neat little trick, isn't it? The higher the target's defence the more damage it will do to them, in other words it's the perfect attack to use against the Shield-Hero!" His lips then curled into a sneer. "That was a guess though, wasn't it?"

"Not at all," I instantly responded with a shake of my head. "I had a few theories that could have explained it, but that one made the most sense."

L'Arc's sneer turned into an expression of surprise which only lasted a second before it was replaced by his usual smile. "As well as a rock-solid defence you've got a smart head on your shoulders! No wonder I'm enjoying this fight so much!" He exclaimed, hafting his scythe in my direction once more. "It's like I said before we started Fergus, my policy is always to fight fair. And since you are a worthy opponent I don't intend to hold any secrets from you."

Despite the fact we were in the middle of a fight for our lives, L'Arc's smile and usual easy-going attitude were putting me at ease a little, and since he was being so honest and upfront with me, the only honourable thing to do was to respond in kind. "I appreciate it L'Arc," I called out. "And since I never refrain from telling the truth, allow me to return the favour. Whilst your defence-reversal attack is indeed the perfect counter to my Shield, it also requires you to actually lay a hit on me. And since I am now aware of it I can focus on avoiding your strikes as well as using my Air Strike Shields and Second Shields to block any of your spells and thus limit the damage you can do."

"Master! Why would you tell him how to beat you?" Filo exclaimed.

"I'm too honourable to not reciprocate his courtesy, it's only fair," I replied, causing Raphtalia to let out a small giggle and Keel to sigh in exasperation. "He's giving us his advantages, so I'm returning the favour."

"You sure are confident Fergus, but let's see if you can back up your words. Now that all the cards are on the table, let's see how this plays out!" L'Arc grinned as he crouched, preparing to charge in once more when suddenly everyone's attention was diverted by a shout from nearby. As we looked over to where the shout came from my eyes widened upon seeing who it was.

"MEL!" Filo cried with a mix of joy and relief, and indeed it was our old friend as we watched her pull up in another small boat.

"How were you able to get here?" Raphtalia asked, although she too was smiling at our friend's arrival.

"I commandeered a ride!" Melty replied simply as a piteous moan came from the boat, and as we all looked at the boat's other occupant I recognised the green-haired girl from Itsuki's party who judging by her current state had been strong-armed by Melty to bring her here.

"It's good to see you here Mel, I'm glad you are okay," I called out to her before shooting an apologetic glance at L'Arc and Therese. "Sorry about that, looks like I hadn't played my final card. But now that Mel's here I can honestly say all our cards are now on the table."

"No need to apologise kiddo, you didn't know she'd be coming, and besides you're going to need all the help you can get to beat us!" L'Arc said cheekily.

"I wouldn't be so confident L'Arc. Mel may be a Princess but she's no slouch," I replied with a small chuckle. "Now that she's here as well, our odds just went up dramatically!"

"This isn't the time to be exchanging pleasantries Fergus, these people are trying to kill you!" Melty reprimanded me with a glare as she came to our side. "I hope I don't have to remind you that as a Hero your job is to fight back the Wave, and since it's still ongoing you haven't completed that task yet, so get back on it!"

"Of course Princess Melty, as you command," I replied with a cheeky bow in her direction, causing her to pout in annoyance and me to chuckle in response before I spoke again in a tone of the utmost seriousness. "Are you ready to fight alongside us one more time?"

"Absolutely!" She replied determinedly.

"Okay then L'Arc, we've all dealt our hands now…are you ready to reveal?" I asked as I turned back to face him and Therese once more

"Damn right we are!" He called back enthusiastically. "I hope you're going all in Fergus because we are too." With that, he shot towards me once again, and as he swept his scythe in my direction I nimbly leapt out of the way, allowing Filo to leap in and strike at L'Arc with her talon, forcing him to block her strike and thus giving me the time to switch to my Viper Chimera Shield.

"Activate skill: Snake Bite!" I called out as L'Arc fended off Filo's strikes, and as he turned to attack me once more the snake heads on my Shield came to life and sunk their teeth into his arms.

"Shit, that's actual venom?!" L'Arc cried out as he struggled to free his arms. Seeing her comrade in trouble Therese fired a water bolt in my direction, but fortunately Melty was quick to counter it.

"Zweit Aqua Shell!" She called out, her conjured water barrier cancelling out Therese's spell.

"Rapid Fire!" Keel called out as the resulting spray from the clash of spells vanished, firing a rapid stream of five arrows one after the other in Therese's direction which forced her to put up a magical barrier to deflect them. As this was going on Raphtalia had taken advantage of L'Arc's struggle with the snake heads to launch an attack at him, but fortunately for him, he was able to break free just in time to get his blade up to block her strike. Yet as their weapons clashed she suddenly used her illusion magic to vanish from sight.

"Illusion magic…" L'Arc realised as he spun around to try and pinpoint her location, but as he was doing so Filo struck at him again, and as he blocked her attack Raphtalia suddenly re-appeared directly behind him and readied a strike.

"Gotcha!" L'Arc cried. Just as I had suspected he had quickly figured out that Filo's attack had been another distraction so that Raphtalia could attack him from behind. And as he swung his blade towards her he fell right into my trap!

"Guess again! Air Strike Shield!" I called out, the familiar ethereal Shield springing up between L'Arc and Raphtalia and deflecting his attack. "Change Shield! Activate Skill: Dog Bite!" The ethereal Shield instantly morphed into the Two-Headed Black Dog Shield whose heads immediately came to life and latched onto L'Arc's arms.

"Combo Spell: Typhoon!" Melty and Filo, having reverted to her human form, cried as they cast the spell, and with L'Arc unable to move the spell hit him full-force and sent him flying back.

"Second Shield!" I called out as another ethereal Shield formed directly behind L'Arc, causing him to crash into it with a loud yell of pain. The force of the impact caused him to collapse to the ground in a slightly disorientated state which left him vulnerable to Raphtalia's follow-up strike that cut into his arm, drawing blood.

"AGGH!" L'Arc cried out in pain, but there was more to come as Keel suddenly uncloaked right in front of him, having taken advantage of Therese having to block her arrows to cloak herself and get right up in his face once more.

"Point-Blank Shot!" She yelled, and just like last time L'Arc was sent flying back from the force of the attack.

"NO!" Therese cried as L'Arc flew past her, her expression turning furious as she threw another blue fireball, this time directly at Raphtalia and Keel. Quickly switching to my Shield of the First Avenger I moved in front of them and deflected the attack, causing it to burst into another cloud of smoke.

"Are you guys okay?" I called out to my friends as the smokescreen allowed us a quick breather.

"I'm fine Fergus," Raphtalia replied, Keel nodding alongside her

"Filo and I are fine!" Melty called out from behind us, and as the smoke faded I saw that L'Arc and Therese had also used the smoke for a breather of their own.

"That was awesome Fergus! Not only do you know how to make use of that Shield of yours, but you and your party work really well as a team!" L'Arc called over to us as Therese used a quick healing spell to mend the wound in his arm. "You're able to attack in tandem as well as cover one another without needing to call out your moves, which made it hard for us to counter what you were doing!"

"When you told us you would be using your Air Strike Shield as well as your Second Shield for defence, we never imagined that you would also it use offensively and as a trap," Therese continued.

"And it wasn't just you that kept surprising us. We knew Raphtalia could use illusion magic but had no idea Keel could as well, and since I wasn't expecting an attack from her I was completely unprepared!" L'Arc finished with a grin. "You guys are really good!"

Despite the dire situation and our exhaustion from the battle I couldn't help but let out a smile at his praise which I'm sure was reflected on the faces of my companions. "It was the same for you guys as well," I replied. "I had no idea Therese could switch from support to offensive magic so fluidly, and as a result I had to react quickly and block her spell before it could hit Raphtalia and Keel." I sighed before continuing. "There's no doubt about it, you guys really are Heroes from another world. It sucks that we're on opposing sides as you lot are far more heroic and worthy of the title of Hero than the idiots I have to put up with."

"I feel for ya kiddo, those guys do seem to be a waste of space," L'Arc replied sincerely. "At least you can put up a fight, and I gotta say it's such a thrill going toe-to-toe with an equally skilled opponent! I'm really fired up now!"

"The feeling is mutual L'Arc, even if this is a fight to the death. And yeah you're right about them, that's why I have to go all-out with getting stronger to make up for how weak they are."

"Well then Fergus, are you and the others ready to finish this once and for all?" L'Arc finally asked, hafting his scythe in my direction once more as Therese raised her hands.

"You guys ready?" I asked with a look back towards my friends, and after getting four determined nods in response I turned my gaze back to L'Arc and Therese as I raised my Shield once more. "We're ready. Let's end this."

"Can you stop fooling around already?" We suddenly heard a loud female voice call out from all around us. As everyone looked around for the source of the voice I spotted a purple bolt fall from the heavens and hit one of the ships, causing a small explosion and splitting the ship in half.

"_I'm sure I've heard that voice before…_" I thought to myself as I peered through the smoke caused by the explosion, but before I could properly identify the figure it leapt high into the air before floating down towards us, and as they landed I realised why that voice had sounded so familiar. After all, there was no mistaking the fans she held in each hand nor the black kimono she was wearing.

It was Glass.

§

"It's her…that same woman from the last Wave…" Raphtalia murmured as Filo growled at Glass. No doubt she was remembering how easily Glass had defeated her last time out.

"Hey there Glassy, what are you doing here?" L'Arc asked her cheerfully and thereby piquing my suspicions as to her true nature.

"I got bored of waiting," She replied simply.

"Who is she Fergus?" Keel asked.

"_That's right, Keel and Melty weren't there when we last fought her._" "Do you remember what I told you about the last Wave, especially that woman we fought and had been barely able to hold off? Her name is Glass, and from the looks of it she seems to be on good terms with L'Arc and Therese."

"I'm honoured that you remember me, Shield-Hero Fergus Ward," Glass spoke up. "Once more we meet face-to-face."

Remembering my manners I gave her a polite bow. "I had a feeling we would meet again Glass, especially after the way our last encounter ended."

"Indeed, we still have some unfinished business," she replied as she held her fans out in front of her before calling out her first attack: "Zero-Stance Rondo: Reverse Four Seasons!" She rapidly swiped her fans in all directions causing a powerful blast of wind to shoot in my direction, and in response I lifted my Shield of the First Avenger to block it. Even I was surprised at how effectively my Shield held back the attack. But Glass wasn't done yet as she fired off her second attack, another technique I'd remembered from our last encounter: Rupture-Stance Rondo: Tortoise Shell Cracker. Once again however I was able to take the attack on my Shield, and although it did force me back slightly I didn't suffer any damage.

"Fergus! Are you okay?" Raphtalia called out worriedly.

"I'm okay Raphtalia, they didn't hurt me one bit!" I replied, causing her to let out a relieved sigh.

"You took two of my most powerful attacks without suffering any damage…" Glass mused. "You have grown a lot stronger Fergus, and what's more you didn't have to rely on your trump card to hold me back."

"Wait, trump card? What are you talking about Glassy?" L'Arc replied, his confused expression mirrored by Therese.

"When the Shield-Hero is backed into a corner he brings forth a rather ominous Shield that can spew flames," Glass answered. "And yet he was able to do this much damage to you without using it...remarkable…"

"I've grown a lot stronger since we last fought Glass, so much so that I am confident of holding you back without relying on that Shield," I replied firmly.

"Oh really? Let's see if you can back up your claims…" With that Glass dashed towards me, swiping at me with her fans.

"Trust me, I can back it up and then some," I replied as I tanked her strike before switching up to my Soul-Eater Shield which instantly came to life and tried to bite down on her arm. Unfortunately she was able to leap back and avoid it, but as she did so I caught her expression…wait, was that a glimpse of fear I saw?

"_Wonder what that was about…_" I wondered before my musings were suddenly interrupted by Therese firing a small blob of magical energy into the air between, a move I instantly recognised having seen her use it before. "_That's her Compression Bomb!_" "ALL OF YOU GET DOWN! METEOR SHIELD!" I roared as I switched to my Iron Meteorite Shield, creating a small blue bubble around the five of us that was able to deflect the attack entirely.

"What kind of magic was that? I've never seen it before!" Melty called out.

"Therese draws her magical power from the jewels in her bracelets! Judging from what we saw earlier she has a special connection with them," Raphtalia responded as Therese began to power up another attack. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Glass had brought her fans back up in front of her face and was gathering her own power around her, standing in the same pose she used whenever she was about to cast Reverse Four Seasons.

"_L'Arc and Therese used a combo skill earlier, so that must mean Glass is capable of using them too!_" I realised. "All of you gather up on me NOW! SHIELD PRISON!" The girls didn't hesitate, huddling up close to me as the familiar cage of Shields sprung up all around us just in the nick of time!

"Bejeweled Blizzard!" Therese called out.

"Combo-Stance: Reverse Hail Seasons!" Glass followed up as an icy storm buffeted the Shield Prison. I was half-expecting the Prison to break or be forced back by the power of their Combo skill, but thankfully it held out until the attack died down leaving us all unharmed.

And yet all of the exertions from my battle with L'Arc and Therese, tanking Glass' attacks and just now from withstanding Therese and Glass' combo spell had used up a lot of my energy, and as the Prison faded I found myself gasping for breath, but thankfully I was able to stay on my feet.

"Are you able to keep going Fergus?" Keel asked worriedly upon noticing the state I was in.

"You bet," I replied as I accessed my Inventory and brought forth some health and mana potions. "Drink these up, this battle ain't over by a long shot."

"Got it!" They all cried as I chucked them each a health and mana potion, chugging down them quickly as I did the same and feeling instantly renewed as a result.

"Even with that Combo Skill we still couldn't pierce through his defences. He really has toughened up…" Glass murmured. Even L'Arc and Therese looked surprised that we had got through those attacks without suffering any damage. "It would seem that everything I thought I knew about you is completely useless now."

"Since our last battle I've found many more reasons to fight," I explained. "And for those reasons my party and I have had to get a lot stronger, hence why we were levelling on Cal Mira in the first place." This statement drew a nod of agreement from my companions, and yet internally I was still wondering why Glass had seemed scared of the Soul-Eater Shield beforehand. "_Could that be her weakness…? _I wondered. "_If so I might have a chance at beating her…_"

"An admirable statement, but even your new-found strength won't be enough to save you." Glass proclaimed.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," I called out as I made a split-second decision based on what I now knew about each of our opponents' capabilities. "Listen up you lot!" I called out to my party. "I'll deal with Glass one-on-one, and whilst I'm doing so I need you guys to hold off L'Arc and Therese! You think you can do that?"

Naturally, this didn't go down well with the girls who were all shocked at my words. "Why are you splitting us up, Fergus? Surely if we work as a team we can beat these guys!" Melty asked.

"I don't doubt that but Glass is far too powerful for you guys to handle and I don't want any of you to get hurt!" I explained quickly. "And besides if I'm right then I'm pretty sure I can defeat Glass by myself, and on top of that I know you four are a match for L'Arc and Therese which is why I'm leaving them for you!"

"But I'm your Sword Master Fergus, please let me help you at least!" Raphtalia begged, and as I looked at her I saw fear in her eyes.

"Raphtalia…" I spoke up in a soft tone as I looked into her eyes with the utmost fondness. "You have told me over and over again that you love and trust me with your whole heart. I already know the answer but…did you mean those words?"

"Of course I did! But why…?

"Then trust me that we'll get through this together, all of us," I continued, cutting her off. "I swore I would always come back to you no matter what and I don't intend to break that promise. Raphtalia…have I ever broken a promise to you?"

I could see the conflict in her eyes, her obvious concern for me warring with the reality of our situation, but in the end she accepted I was right. "Never," she replied, clutching her necklace and looking at me with an expression of love and determination. "I believe in you Fergus, and I know you'll come back to me. Leave L'Arc and Therese to us!"

"You can count on me!" Keel replied, giving me a thumbs up.

"I'll give it my all as well!" Melty piped up fiercely.

"I'm in too!" Filo called out determinedly.

I gave each of them a smile in return. "I knew I could count on you guys! Fight hard and stay safe, I believe in you!" With that I look a running leap off of the side of the whale, using both my Air Strike Shield and Second Shield as platforms to reach the nearest ship.

"You're not getting away!" I heard Glass call out as I was crossing my Shields, and looking behind I saw her leap off the whale in pursuit. "_She took the bait, thank goodness!_" I thought with relief as I turned back, but not before I saw my companions take up their battle stances as they faced down L'Arc and Therese.

§

As I planted my feet on the deck of the ship I took a moment to catch my breath, knowing that Glass would be right behind me. Thankfully the ship in question was deserted so no-one else would be harmed during our coming conflict.

"So, you're choosing to fight me one-on-one, exactly as I wanted it," I heard Glass call out and as I looked over I saw her land on the opposite side of the ship. "But aren't you concerned about leaving your friends to fight L'Arc and Therese alone?"

"Make no mistake, having travelled and fought both with and against them I know exactly how powerful L'Arc and Therese are," I replied cautiously, taking a quick glance over to where they were fighting. As I was watching, Raphtalia traded a few blows with L'Arc before Filo took over whilst Melty and Therese were bombarding each other with magic. Keel was hanging back slightly but she had an arrow nocked and was waiting for the right moment to get involved. "But I have absolute faith that my friends will be able to hold them off."

With that I turned my gaze back to Glass, wanting to confirm my suspicions from before. "Before we begin our fight, I want you to tell me something Glass. L'Arc claimed that he was a Hero from another world, and given that you are just as powerful as well as the fact that you two seem to be on good terms, am I correct in assuming you are a Hero from their world as well?"

"So L'Arc let that slip did he?" She replied with a sigh. "You are correct Shield-Hero, I am indeed what is known as a Vassal Hero, the Fan Hero, and L'Arc is the Scythe Hero."

"_I'm guessing Vassal Heroes must be their world's equivalent of the Cardinal Heroes,_" I theorised, but before I could take my thinking any further Glass suddenly leapt at me, again leading with her fans. I quickly activated my Axe-Shield just as her attack struck.

"Interesting, I've never seen you use that Shield before. I'm curious…why did you change to that one in particular?" Glass asked as we separated.

"Keep attacking me and you'll find out," I replied shortly which caused her to raise an eyebrow.

"My curiosity is piqued. Very well then." And with that she proceeded to go on the offensive once more, striking at me from every possible angle to try and catch me off-guard, but my defence held firm as I blocked every one of her strikes, and as result my Shield's energy meter quickly built up to its capacity, and as it did I let out a satisfied smile.

"Okay then Glass, are you ready to see what this Shield can do?" I asked, lifting it before my eyes.

"Please, go right ahead."

"You asked for it. COME FORTH, HEARTSEEKER!" At my call the Shield changed into true form, and as the familiar feelings of bloodlust came over me once more I hafted the axe in Glass' direction, a feral grin on my face as I took in her stunned expression.

However, she was quickly able to recompose herself. "Of all the things I was expecting that wasn't one of them," she commented, her usual confident smile back in place. "But do you honestly believe you can hit me with that cumbersome blade?"

"Let's find out shall we?" Without another word I crouched before breaking into a run straight towards her, and as I did so I leapt up and swung my axe down towards her, causing her to dodge to the side to avoid it. But I took that in my stride as I spun around and swung at her once more, forcing her to use her fans to block. As she did her confident grin faded as she realised she was in a proper slug-fest now.

"Seeing as you're both dodging and blocking my attacks, I'd say I'm keeping up pretty well don't you think?" I leered at her. In response, she let out a growl as she proceeded to force my weapon back. But rather than letting up I dove in to attack her once more, and so for the next ninety seconds or so I kept up the assault and forced her to keep on the move as she barely avoided most of my attacks. There were times however when she was able to block my strike and tried to counter but I was able to block them with my weapon. And so by the time my Axe reverted into its original form neither of us had succeeded in inflicting any damage on the other.

"And here I thought your ominous Shield was your only offensive option, but I see I was wrong," Glass commented. "Very impressive Shield-Hero, but if that was your best shot then it was nowhere near enough!" With that she cast Zero-Stance Rondo: Reverse Four Seasons once more, but this time I was able to leap out of its way.

"_This isn't like our last fight since she and I are now on equal footing." _I realised"_That means I stand a shot at beating her if I can find out her weakness!_" She followed up with Rupture-Stance Rondo: Tortoise Shell Cracker which I tanked on my Shield before quickly switching to my Soul-Eater Shield. As it materialised I quickly activated it's Soul Devour technique to take away her mana and thus prevent her from activating any more of her skills, but I wasn't prepared for what happened instead: Instead of draining her mana the attack enveloped her body in a purple glow and gave her a nasty shock causing her to let out a cry of pain. "_No wonder she looked so scared when I brought out this Shield, she's vulnerable to it! She's done for now!_" I realised.

"Now that I know your weakness there's no point in continuing this fight. I don't want to hurt you any more Glass so please give up. If we combine our power with that of the other Heroes we may be able to find a way to stop the Waves!" I implored her as she struggled to stay on her feet, shaking her head in response to my plea.

"This battle isn't over until one of us is dead!" She retorted as she charged in once more, but I was easily able to tank her attack as I activated Soul Devour once more, causing her to let another cry of pain as she collapsed to the ground.

"If you carry on like this you'll only end up killing yourself, is that really what you want?!" I pleaded desperately.

"As long as I still draw breath I will do everything in my power to end your life, for the sake of the world I love I have no choice!" Glass spat as she struggled back to her feet.

"_Therese said something along those lines earlier…are they really willing to sacrifice their own lives for the sake of their world? My first impressions of Glass were way off the mark…she's not evil, just determined, and even though she's trying to kill me I can respect that…_"

"The only way you'll be able to get rid of me is to kill me right here, otherwise you and everyone on this world will be wiped out!" She continued as she finally managed to get herself before giving me a piercing stare. "Tell me something, Fergus…I am willing to kill you for the sake of my world and those I care about, but can you do the same?"

§

"_But can you do the same?…_" Glass' words made me stop in my tracks as I comprehended their magnitude…did I have the strength, resolve and willpower to go that far, to end a life, or indeed multiple lives in order to defend this world, the world I had been summoned to against my will and where I had been put through so much hardship through no fault of my own?

But that was only half the story. As well as the bad times this world had given me so much in return, and as a result, I had grown so much not only as a Hero but as a human being. If you were to compare me to the person I had been when I was first summoned here…it's a pretty safe bet to say I was no longer the wide-eyed young man eager for adventure. I had been forced to toughen up, bear hardship and experience suffering I had never felt before, not just to survive but to fulfil my purpose as one of the four Cardinal Heroes, especially since I had been pitted up against the other three Heroes, half of the royal family and a cult that had seen me as the Devil itself not just to ensure my survival but also that of the people I had come to care about.

For as well as hardship, this world had given me things I was willing to risk my life for. For all the faults of the people living in it this world was beautiful, something I could personally attest to having travelled all across Melromarc. And what's more it contained some of the most amazing people that I had been fortunate to interact with, who I had learnt so much from, and in the case of four of them had come to respect, admire and love, especially the beautiful woman who I now called my girlfriend. And most of all this world had given me purpose: To defend the people of this world against the threat of the Waves.

All of this made me realise that despite the hardships I had been through, I would gladly give my life to defend this world and the people I cared about.

But to actually end a life in order to defend it? Apart from Raphtalia, I knew myself better than anyone and I knew that I wasn't a murderer. Indeed I had never felt the urge to kill anyone or anything and had only resorted to it when the target in question was threatening the lives of the people I cared for most…the zombie dragon for example or Idol Rabier. And even when I had murdered the Pope with Blood Sacrifice…that wasn't for my personal satisfaction or out of any hatred for him but instead to safeguard my friends and the other Heroes who were needed to keep this world safe.

And as for Bitch, Trash and everyone else had been involved in the plot to frame me, who had put me through hell…I had wanted revenge for sure but never their deaths, and by keeping that as my focus as well as my desire to see justice done I had been able to get so much satisfaction from seeing them get what they deserved. And besides, death was not only an easy way out of their punishment but would also prevent them from learning from their mistakes and maybe even one day atoning for their crimes. I believed that everyone deserved a chance at repentance and those people were no exception…well maybe except Bitch who had shown no remorse for what she had done and who I doubted ever would.

But still, if I could allow someone like Trash the chance for redemption, then surely Glass, who was fighting for the sake of her world and the people she cared about just like I was, deserved that chance as well. Well, not so much repentance, she wasn't guilty of any crime, but the chance to live and help me find a way to end the Waves without having to condemn the population of entire worlds to a fate they did not deserve.

As I was thinking this through my vision became blurry as the scene around me shifted. Instead of facing down Glass I now had a birds-eye view of a very familiar situation, as below me I could see people of various ages, races and attires fighting on boats against what I assumed were that Wave's minions, just as we had been doing a short while ago.

"_Do you see what I do Fergus?_" Glass' voice rang out in my mind.

"_I see it._"

"_Those are the people of my world fighting back the Waves, waiting on our triumphant return…_" With that, the vision faded and we were once more facing each other on the ship. "This is the only way the battle can end for us! The very fate of worlds rests on our shoulders which is why I cannot lose to you!"

"You may be able to condemn innocent people to death, but don't think for a second that I will do the same, not until I know for certain that is the only way to save my world from the Waves!" I declared. "I'm going to find a way, however I can, to save both of our worlds, to save every world from the Waves that doesn't involve the deaths of innocent people! You know why? BECAUSE I AM NOT A MURDERER!"

Glass narrowed her eyes at my declaration, but before she or I could strike I caught a sudden movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked over to see what it was but upon seeing nothing I turned my gaze back to Glass who to my astonishment was chugging down what I recognised as a Soul-Soothing Potion! "_Either L'Arc or Therese must've thrown it over, but how is that going to help…_" My eyes widened as she finished chugging down the potion, her body and complexion looking fully refreshed despite the damage she had suffered from the Soul-Eater Shield, and that's when I understood: Just like my Soul-Eater had drained her health instead of her mana, a Soul-Soothing Potion which was normally used to replenish one's mana was instead replenishing her life-force!

"_That doesn't make sense! Unless…could it be that she's not fully human?!_" As I was processing this Glass leapt towards me, her expression ecstatic as she struck at me with her fans once more. I quickly changed to my Soul-Eater Shield once more with the intent to counter her strike, only for the force of her attack to send me flying back straight into the ship's figurehead, causing me to crumple to the ground as my back screamed in agony.

"You lack the resolve to do what it takes to defend this world Fergus," I heard her state coldly as I tried and failed to get to my feet, and as I looked up I saw that she was currently standing over me, fans raised as she prepared to deliver the final blow. "That is the difference between you and me which will result in my triumph and your death!"

"_Damnit, I can't do a thing to defend myself…Raphtalia…I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise…_"I thought to myself as I awaited the death-blow.

But it never came as I heard a loud cry of "NO!" whilst at the same time a figure appeared in front of me and used their sword to block the Vassal Hero's attack. Wait a minute, I would recognise that voice anywhere! And as I looked up my eyes widened at seeing who it was. It was Raphtalia!

"What are you doing here Raphtalia?! You're no match for her!" I cried out, although internally I was thanking her repeatedly for saving my life.

"You know exactly what I'm doing here Fergus!" She stated firmly as Glass leapt back, keeping her eyes fixed on the fan-wielder as she raised her blade in her direction. "I am the Sword of the Shield-Hero and you are the man I love with all my heart, and as long as that is the case I will always be at your side, no matter what comes our way, and together we will fight for what we believe in! You want a world where everyone, whether they are human, demi-human, filolial or any sort of creature, can live in harmony with one another, where no-one has to suffer just because they are different!"

Her face hardened as she moved a hand to grasp her necklace. "I am willing to fight to the death to achieve that dream so that what happened to my people, to my parents, to Rifana and the suffering that resulted for me, Keel and so many others will never happen again! Not only that, but I have a dream of my own to fight for, a dream where you and I live together during times of peace when the Waves are no more! I want us to get married, have a home together and raise a family of our own, and I will go to the ends of the earth and fight whoever I have to in order to make that a reality! I love you Fergus Ward, I want to be with you forever and I will not allow anyone to take you away from me!"

"Raphtalia…" I murmured, touched beyond belief by her words, and as clutched my necklace to my chest I found a new resolve that allowed me to bear through the pain currently ravaging my body, the resolve to do whatever it took to make her dreams a reality since that was exactly what I wanted as well! And that's what allowed me to get to my feet, activating my Shield of the First Avenger as I put myself between Glass and Raphtalia, tanking the attack that was meant for Raphtalia and forcing the Vassal Hero back.

"DISCUS THROW!" I roared as my Shield flew off my arm straight into Glass' chest and sent her sprawling once more.

"Are you okay Fergus?" Raphtalia asked as my Shield returned to my arm, and as I turned to face her I saw her looking at me with obvious concern. For an answer, I leant in and gave her a soft peck on the lips.

"I'm fine Raphtalia…and thank you…not only for saving my life but for giving me another reason to fight. I promise I will make your dream a reality," I replied, causing her eyes to light up with happiness.

"I know you will Fergus." I smiled at her words before I turned to face Glass, my eyes narrowing as I strode over to where she was currently struggling to get back to her feet.

"You are correct Glass, I do lack the resolve to take away life even if it's for the sake of this world," I stated as I stood over her. "But don't think for a second that makes me weak. You may have thought that my power comes from my Shield of Wrath, a tool for anger and revenge, but you are wrong. There are in fact two sources for my power."

I held up a finger. "The first is my resolve to protect this world that has given me friends, love and most importantly a purpose." I then raised a second finger alongside it. "The second is my desire to fulfil the wishes of those I care about, especially those here with me today. They have fought alongside me for a long time, choosing to follow me without asking anything in return. And in order to repay their loyalty and the sacrifices they have made for me I have resolved that they will all live to see their desires fulfilled. I will make their dreams a reality even if I have to do with my own two hands, and that is why I will defend them, and this world, over and over again if I have to. Every time this world is threatened, whether from the Waves or Vassal Heroes such as yourself, I will be there to stop them every single time until I find a way to end all of this that doesn't involve losing innocent lives in the process!"

"Master Fergus…" I heard Raphtalia murmur as Glass finally got to her feet, but as she did so another timer, just like the one from the last Wave, appeared in my Status Menu and started counting down from 3 minutes. This was the crunch then…if I could hold Glass off for another few minutes this would all be over…without any more lives being lost.

"It's time to end this Shield-Hero…" Glass growled as she held out her fans and started gathering all her power into what I assumed would be one final strike.

In response, I held my Shield up in front of my face as I prepared to switch it out. "You're going to need every drop of power in order to break through my defence. Let's see whose resolve is stronger!

"Fergus…" I felt Raphtalia touch my shoulder and as I looked back at her I saw her watching me with concern. "Please….don't resort to that awful Shield…I can't lose you like that..not again…"

I gave her a soft smile in return. "I don't need that Shield any more Raphtalia, you along with everyone else I care about are the source of my strength. As long as you are all by my side I know I can hold her back, so just stay behind me…I'll keep you safe."

"Okay…" Raphtalia nodded as she crouched down behind me. At the same time, I brought both hands in front of my face and called out my Complete Greatshield, gripping it tightly in both hands as I prepared to use Final Defence to cancel out her attack. And yet before Glass could strike…

"SIR FERGUS!" I heard a voice call out that I immediately recognised as Queen Mirellia's. "Use these!" As I looked over to where her voice was coming I spotted Itsuki's green-haired companion standing up in her boat, her eyes closed as she cast a spell that caused several barrels to lift out of the water and fly in our direction.

"_Of course, the barrels of cohol fruit!_" I realised as their intent was made clear. "Raphtalia! Close your eyes and keep your mouth shut!" She did exactly that as I quickly switched to my Meteorite Iron Shield. "METEOR SHIELD!" I cried, the same blue barrier from before appearing around Raphtalia and me as the barrels exploded directly above us and drenched both the boat and Glass completely, who having been unable to protect herself in time was now struggling to stay on her feet due to the sudden intoxication sweeping her body.

"What was that all about?" Raphtalia wondered as the Meteor Shield faded.

"Since there is so much alcohol in just one cohol berry, then three barrels of the stuff will be enough to incapacitate anyone," I explained as we watched Glass fall to a knee.

"You're in no condition to fight any more Glass so give up, this fight is over!" I called out to her, but before she could respond two figures suddenly leapt onto the boat and came to her side, none other than L'Arc and Therese.

"What are you two doing here? I can still fight!" Glass snarled at them, her voice slurred due to the amount of alcohol in her system. As she was speaking I heard, rather than saw, Filo, Melty and Keel join us on our side of the boat.

L'Arc shook his head. "You're in no state to fight, and more importantly we're out of time," he stated firmly, putting a hand on her shoulder before turning to look at us. "Congrats Shield-Hero, looks like you've won this round. So for now your world is safe."

"However this won't be the last time we meet in battle," Therese added.

"I know," I responded grimly. "And the next time you come we'll be waiting for you."

"What on earth are you two doing?!" Glass cried as she tried and failed to get to her feet, L'Arc's firm hand on her shoulder keeping her on the ground. "If we don't kill them now then that means-"

"Yeah yeah we know, you can yell at us more when you're less drunk," L'Arc cut her off as he and Therese lifted Glass off the ground before supporting her between them.

"L'Arc, Glass, Therese," I spoke up in a firm voice. "I promise you I am going to find a way, no matter what it takes, to end the Waves without sacrificing either of our worlds, and when that time comes I hope we can fight alongside each other and make that happen. But make no mistake, should you come and threaten our world again before that happens, my friends and I will stop you. And you should know by now…I Always. Keep. My Promises."

All three of them looked my way, their expressions startled and for good reason since I highly doubt they expected those words to come out of the mouth of the person they had just been trying to kill. In the end, it was L'Arc who spoke up, his face cracking into his usual grin. "If anyone can find a way to do that it's you Shield-kiddo. Until we next meet you all stay safe you hear me?"

"We will. Just make sure you all do the same," I replied, my companions nodding alongside me as we all took a step back and watched them being lifted high into the sky before they suddenly disappeared in a flash of yellow light, and as they did so the sky returned to its normal colour that signified the end of another Wave.

Filo, Keel and Melty all let out a cheer and started hugging one another as Raphtalia snuggled into my side. As I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and held her close I looked up to the point in the sky where the Vassal Heroes had vanished.

"_L'Arc, Therese, Glass and everyone in your world…I swear I will find a way to save us all, no matter what it takes…_"

**And there we have it, the penultimate chapter of this story. I hope you enjoyed it! This was a bit of a challenge to write in some areas but I'm happy with how it turned out.**

**Now then there are a few changes in this chapter. I wanted to keep the fight scenes mostly the way they were, but in addition to that I had to factor in Keel's role in the battle as well as Fergus' alternate Shields alongside his unwillingness to use the Shield of Wrath, hence why he broke out his Axe-Shield against Glass and was prepared to use the Complete Greatshield to counter her final blow**

**But the biggest changes in this chapter revolve around Fergus, and in this chapter more than any of the others you can really see the differences between him and Naofumi in the original. Whilst it is true to some of the dialogue both in this chapter and throughout the story is the same as in the source material I knew with certainty that I did not want it to be a direct copy and to really show how much differently Fergus handles things. The only real reasons to have some of the dialogue be the same is because I imagined it's what most people would say given the situation and their knowledge during the story so far.**

**The first thing of note is his thought process and his speech to Glass near the end. Naofumi is rather hesitant to defend the world that has and still is treating him poorly, and still fully expects to return to his world once all of the Waves are over. Fergus recognises that as well, after all who wouldn't if they were in the same situation, but at the same time he focuses on the good things that have come out of it: the beauty of this world, the kindness of the people he has met (the ones who didn't screw him over at least), how this world has given him a purpose and most of all the friends he has made as well as the girl he has fallen in love with. But he doesn't share Naofumi's view that he's going to return to his own world, he believes this is his home now and he's going to protect everything he cares about to his last breath.**

**And now we come to the other aspect of Fergus' character as well as one of his flaws. The other aspect is that Fergus doesn't enjoy taking life and never has done, and the only reason he would ever do is to defeat the Wave's minions or to defend the people he cares about and has no other choice in the matter, for example with the zombie dragon. And on top of that Fergus believes every person who does wrong or commits a crime deserves a chance to redeem themselves unless they are truly unrepentant. For example, our least-favourite former princess or a certain bow-wielding Hero. If Trash was able to truly repent and atone for what he has done, despite everything he did to him, Fergus may be able to one day forgive him.**

**And Fergus' flaw: He takes far too much on himself since he is so determined to make things right. He wants a world free of pain where everyone can live in peace and will do anything to achieve that. It started with just being the Shield-Hero, being the shield that defended Melromarc, and then taking that to the next level to make up for the other Heroes' failings on top of his desire to see that the demi-humans have their home restored. After that, he swore to defend the whole world after realising the Waves hit everywhere instead of just Melromarc. And now after realising there are many worlds that are also affected by the Waves he has now sworn to try and save all of them from the Waves. He is bearing so much weight and responsibility on his shoulders because he believes it's what he has to do, and sooner or later that is going to come back to bite him unless he can ease his burdens somehow.**

**Now that that's out of the way, thank you all again for all of your support. Every favourite, follow and review is as always greatly appreciated.**

**And this chapter also made me realise something…one week is not enough for me to plan a chapter and then write it whilst juggling the rest of my life as well. I spent two days planning this chapter and then four days writing it, which meant I was writing the final part of the chapter on the same day it was due to be uploaded. It is a good lesson for the future and will probably lead me to take 9 or 10 days instead of a week to write chapters.**

**That is why I am pushing the release of the last chapter to next Sunday instead of Friday to make sure I really do justice to it, especially one part in particular. Consider this a formal announcement that Chapter 32, the final chapter, will be released on Sunday 10****th**** November at 19:00 GMT.**

**Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now and I will see you then! And sorry for the length of this note! **


	34. Ch 32 - One Journey Ends, Another Begins

**Since the last chapter I have had two memorable visual experiences that I will never forget for the rest of my life. The first one was the Joker film, and after seeing it I knew it was a film that I'd needed to see more than anything. It was a masterpiece in every sense of the word, and I enjoyed every minute of it, parts of it more than others but the whole thing was just brilliant. If you haven't seen it yet go and see it NOW. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.**

**Also chapter 123 of the Attack on Titan manga. I'm not usually a manga reader but I do have a few exceptions: Shield Hero, Seven Deadly Sins and of course Attack on Titan and that last chapter gave me chills. If anything it's accelerated my desire to write my planned Attack on Titan 2 AU story.**

**So here we are, Chapter 32, The Final Chapter of Rising of a True Shield Hero. The journey that began in February of this year is coming to an end for now. All this week since I started writing this I have been emotional, the end of my very first fan story. What started as an idea I had has now taken on a life of its own, and not only is it a key part of my life but I can safely say if it hadn't been for this story I may very well have lost my sanity this year.**

**For the final time, the mandatory disclaimer that I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward. Enjoy!**

Chapter 32 - One Journey Ends, Another Begins

It was currently the day after the Wave had struck Cal Mira and the ensuing battle against the Vassal Heroes, and right now my party and I were relaxing on the beach outside the Cal Mira resort. Originally I had intended for us to return to Melromarc straight away but the Queen had encouraged myself and the other Heroes to take it easy and recover for the next day or two. Secretly I was glad she had suggested such since we all needed a break to gather our thoughts about what had happened.

Straight after the Vassal Heroes had departed my party and I had made a quick stop on the carcass of the Inter-Dimensional Whale so that I could claim the loot from it, figuring that if neither L'Arc or Therese were going to have then the next ones in line to have it were the members of my own party. Besides, there was no way in hell I was letting the other Heroes get their undeserving hands on it. Once we had done that we had returned to the Queen's flagship where she and the other Heroes were waiting for us, and it didn't long for Motoyasu and Itsuki to start moaning about how I had cheated once again to end the Wave, comments that I ignored as per usual. The Queen had then spoken up, proclaiming that the victory belonged to all those who had helped in some way during the battle and then finished by thanking everyone for their aid, at which point she had dropped us off on Cal Mira.

And it wasn't long after the Queen's fleet had departed that the Earl of Habenburg's ships had returned with all of the island's inhabitants that had previously been evacuated, and as they had come down from their ships the Earl and several of the civilians had thanked us all for fighting back the Wave. Naturally, the other Heroes had lapped up the praise but myself and the others hadn't fully registered it since our minds were too distracted. Once that was over the five of us, since Melty was currently with us, returned to our suite so that we could recover from the battle, and after a good night's sleep (Melty having shared a room with Filo) I had suggested a day at the beach to relax and get our minds off things. This had got the instant agreement of everyone in my party.

And yet despite the beautiful scenery all around us, I couldn't relax; I was still trying to wrap my head around yesterday's events, especially the revelation that L'Arc, Therese and Glass were all Heroes for another world that was also being threatened by the Waves and all of the possible implications surrounding it. Now that we knew about the Vassal Heroes and the potential threat of Heroes from other world coming to our own we'd have to be even more prepared when the next Waves came around. After all, Glass had only appeared near the end of the Wave which made me suspect that there must be something about the Waves that allowed Heroes from the other worlds to cross over to this one.

And yet that theory had a flaw: It didn't explain how L'Arc and Therese had been able to come here before the Wave struck. Regardless of how they did it though, the only thing that mattered was that they had been able to, and would do so over and over again in order to kill the Cardinal Heroes and thus save their world from the Waves. We would need to ready for them, since not only would they be getting stronger in order to defeat us, but the upcoming Waves would also be much more deadly than the previous ones. To hold them back we were going to need more of an army than the one Melromarc currently had. As such the first thing I would do when I returned to Melromarc would be to appeal to the Queen to swell the ranks of her army. At the same time, I would suggest that the other Heroes and I recruited more party members, maybe even a small army unit of our own, and train them up so that they'd be ready to fight the Waves.

As I was thinking these things through, my mind wandered to something Fitoria had told me: "_In time all four of the Heroes will have to decide what they are fighting for, the world or the people that inhabit it. If you choose to fight for the world, you will fulfil your duty but many lives will be lost in the process. However, that is the easier choice. If you choose to fight for the people, you will face many hardships and trials, but in doing so you will have made the same choice that the previous Heroes had made before you, and is the path they expected their successors to take._"

This made me wonder if what we had just been through had been what she meant by having to face many hardships and what else may await us in the future. I had told her back then that I had already decided to fight for the people and keep them all safe, but these days it seemed like I was fighting for both the people and the world, and now on top of that I had taken the fate of the world of the Vassal Heroes and their people, as well as those of many other worlds, into my hands as well.

"_Am I truly capable of doing what I promised?..._" I thought to myself before clenching my fist determinedly. "_No, I made that promise and I am going to keep it, no matter what it takes! I am a man of my word after-_" My thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a pair of arms wrapped around my neck, the person in question then pressing themselves into my back.

"Guess who?" I heard Raphtalia's soft voice whisper into my ear, causing me to relax as I closed my eyes and leant back into her.

"Hey babe…" I replied, and for a while neither of us moved or spoke as we enjoyed each other's company.

"Are you okay?" She eventually asked.

"I am, more so now that you are here with me." My reply earned me a giggle and a kiss on the cheek as she moved to sit down next to me, and as she did so I grabbed her around the waist and, opening up my lap, pulled her towards me. She made no effort to resist as she proceeded to lean her back against my chest and stretch her legs out whilst I snaked my arms around her chest and held her close. "What about you Raphtalia, are you okay?" I asked as we made ourselves comfortable.

"I am, although I'm still finding it hard to believe that L'Arc and Therese were not only Heroes from another world but had been trying their hardest to kill us…after everything we had been through together," she replied, snuggling into my chest.

"I'm still finding that hard to believe as well sometimes, but I don't blame them for what they did," I admitted. "They were fighting for the sake of their world and its inhabitants and were convinced that the only way to save them was to kill me. That doesn't make them bad people in the slightest."

Raphtalia then turned her head to look at me. "Do you feel the same way about Glass?"

I nodded in response. "I do, even if she was more fervent about it than L'Arc and Therese. That doesn't make her evil though. I fully believe that they are all good people and that one day we can fight on the same side in order to-"

My words were suddenly caught off as Raphtalia suddenly brought her head up and kissed me passionately on the lips. "What was that for?" I asked her as we separated.

"For being the most amazing man I have ever met," she replied with a dazzling smile. "You had every right to be angry at them for trying to kill you, but instead you look past that and choose to see the best in them. You are truly the noblest and most forgiving soul to ever exist, and another reason on top of many others as to why I love you so much."

"Well I did have a good teacher who insisted I see the best in everyone even when they were looking down on us," I reminded her with a grin, causing her to blush as I proceeded to plant another kiss on her cheek. After that we both turned to look out over the beach towards the body of water that seemed to stretch on forever, no words needing to be said as we were simply content with each other's company.

"I've been thinking Master Fergus…" Raphtalia suddenly spoke up, turning her head to look at me again. "Now that the Wave is over, what are we going to do?"

Since I had already given it a lot of thought I gave her an instant reply. "Well the first thing I plan to do when we get back is to start recruiting a small army of volunteers to help us fight back the Waves since they are only going to get stronger from here on out. And whilst they hold back the main armies of the Waves I can focus on trying to find a way to end the Waves once and for all along with holding off the Vassal Heroes should they return-"

"Master Fergus," She interrupted sharply, a concerned expression on her face. "You're doing it again."

"What are you talking about?"

She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. "The truth is I'm worried about you Fergus. You're taking too many burdens on your shoulders and I fear you will eventually crumble under the strain of doing too much," she confessed. "Why do you keep piling so much pressure on yourself?"

"_I'm not surprised she figured that out, after all she knows me better than anyone._" "It's far from an ideal situation, I am fully aware of that," I told her. "But it is my responsibility as one of the Cardinal Heroes, and since the others are so incompetent and still refuse to take this seriously the burden is now all on me and I refuse to stand by whilst I have the power to do something about it."

Raphtalia swivelled around so that she was facing me in a crouching position, the same concerned expression on her face. "I'm not trying to stop you from doing that. In fact, I admire you for it. But you don't have to bear these burdens alone, and you've never had to."

This made me stop and think as she continued. "I am your Sword and your girlfriend, and as a result, I will always help you bear your burdens," she reminded me, reaching out a hand to stroke my cheek. "But it's not just me. Filo, Keel and Mel all feel the exact same and they want to help you too. We'll always be at your side, and we'll always be there to lift some of the weight of your shoulders because we love and believe in you." She then took my head in her hands and looked directly into my eyes. "Please Fergus, let us help you…" She begged.

I looked down, momentarily ashamed, as I remembered how they had been able to save me from the Wrath Shield and the promises they and I had made to each other at that time. In my desire to keep them all safe I had momentarily forgotten how they had been so eager to share in my troubles and help me whenever I needed it. "You're right Raphtalia, and I'm sorry," I admitted as I raised my head to look back at her. "I just thought that the best way of keeping you safe was not to trouble you with my burdens."

"It's never troubling for us, we are your friends and that's what friends do for each other."

"You're absolutely right and I will never forget that," I promised with a smile. "Thank you for looking out for me and for caring so much."

"I'm your girlfriend, that is my job. As is this." With those words she wrapped herself tightly around me and kissed me deeply which I proceeded to return with the same passion, and in the midst of our make-out session she proceeded to push me down into the sand, and as we separated she placed herself directly over me, giving me a look of pure love before leaning down and kissing me once more. As I returned the kiss I wrapped my arms around her and pushed my weight against her, rolling us over so that I was now the one on top of her.

"Did I hurt you?" I asked as we separated. She shook her head, looking both amused and happy at this turn of events. I then pressed my body down on hers and was just about to kiss her again when all of a sudden we heard a raised voice from nearby.

"FERGUS! RAPHTALIA! COME QUICK!" It was Melty's voice, and judging by her frantic tone something really bad had happened. As Raphtalia and I disentangled ourselves from one another we saw Melty racing across the sand towards us.

"What's wrong Mel?" I asked as she got close but she only shook her head in response.

"You need to see this for yourself," she replied. I exchanged a worried look with Raphtalia as we followed her back to where she had been playing with the others, and as we got there I saw Filo in her Filolial form standing guard over Keel, who from the looks of it was administrating basic resuscitation to somebody. As we got closer I was able to identify exactly who that somebody was, my eyes widening as I recognised the green-haired girl from Itsuki's party. "What happened here?" I asked Filo and Keel.

"She ran into the water crying her eyes out. She wasn't even trying to swim so I got her out of the water before she got hurt!" Filo explained.

"_So she was trying to drown herself…_" I realised as I patted Filo's head. "Well done Filo you did a brilliant job."

"Why on earth would she do that?" Raphtalia asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling none of us are going to like the answer," I replied with a grimace. "For now, let's get her somewhere warm so she can recover, and after that, we'll find out exactly what brought this on."

"Understood!"

§

We quickly took the unconscious girl to one of the resort's inns where I proceeded to order some food whilst we waited for her to wake up, and as we waited I checked her over discreetly to make sure there weren't any other wounds, and to my relief I found none.

After a while the girl eventually came to, and as she opened her eyes she let out a cry of panic, and as she sat up she tried to back away from us in obvious terror. I quickly moved to kneel beside her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, there's nothing to be afraid of. You are among friendly people here," I said kindly.

She looked around at us frantically as if she wasn't sure she could believe what I said, but as soon as she saw the Shield on my right arm her eyes widened in recognition. "Fuee…are y-you the S-Shield Hero?" She asked nervously.

"I am indeed, my name is Fergus Ward," I replied before pointing to each of my companions as I introduced him. "That's Raphtalia, the girl next to her is Keel, and then you have Princess Melty Melromarc…" Mel pouted as I used her full title. "…and finally there's Filo. She's the Filolial who rescued you." Filo gave her a cheery wave in response. "Speaking of which, can you tell us how you got into this situation?"

Instead of replying the girl started wailing away as she curled up on herself, and my heart almost broke at the sight. "Fueeeeeee…you should have just let me die! I'm so weak and pathetic, I can't be of use to anyone!"

"That's not true," I said softly, my hand still softly grasping her right shoulder as Raphtalia crouched down next to her and placed her hands on the girl's other shoulder. "If it hadn't been for your help we may never have been able to end the Wave."

The girl raised her tear-drenched face. "I-I was able to help the Shield-Hero?"

"You sure did. By levitating those barrels over in my direction you helped me fight off the Vassal Heroes and in so doing saved my life," I replied with no hint of a lie. If it hadn't been for her I would've struggled to hold off Glass until the timer ran out.

"I-I really did do something useful…" she murmured, but then she burst into a fresh wail of tears. "But if I was so helpful, why was Master Itsuki so cruel to me?!"

At the mention of Itsuki's name my expression darkened. "_That bastard…what the hell did he do to her?!_" "Keel, can you please get her a seat?" Keel nodded and as she was doing so Raphtalia and I tried our best to calm the girl down. This wasn't an easy feat as she was clearly distressed but her tears eventually stopped as Keel returned with a seat. As she sat down upon it we all drew up chairs around her. "Okay then let's start with the basics…first of all, do you mind telling me your name?" I asked kindly.

"I'm Rishia. Rishia Ivyred. And I am...no, was part of Sir Itsuki's party," she said, tears falling once more as she mentioned Itsuki's name. "After Sir Itsuki and his party saved me from a nobleman who had stolen me away from my family I pledged to serve him to show my thanks…and even though they treated me as nothing but an errand-girl and forced me to carry all their things, I was just so happy to be around him!" She then let out another loud wail as I processed what I had just heard, wondering why on earth Itsuki had treated her that way when she was obviously a skilled magic-caster.

I kept those thoughts to myself for now as I waited for her to quieten down. "It's nice to meet you Rishia," I said warmly. "And I'm sorry that I have to ask you this again but are you able to tell us what led up to us finding you unconscious on the beach?"

It took quite a while, but through many gentle coaxes and floods of tears Rishia was able to explain what had happened just a short while ago: Itsuki had summoned her to his suite, and as soon as she had arrived he'd held out one of his accessories, which had been smashed to pieces, and had asked her if she'd known how it happened. She'd had absolutely no idea but Itsuki hadn't believed her and asked her the same question again, and when she had denied any knowledge of it he'd only shaken his head and murmured how disappointed he was with her. When she'd asked what he meant the rest of his party had instantly accused her of being the one who broke it, even claiming they had seen her do it, but when she denied it once more they had accused her of lying, and without even giving her a chance to defend herself Itsuki had ordered Mald, the lumbering knight, to kick her out whilst telling her she was no longer welcome in his party. Completely taken by despair and left without any hope she'd tried to drown herself, only for Filo to save her which is how we'd found her.

As soon as she'd finished her tale she had collapsed to the ground once more and started crying her eyes out. As Raphtalia knelt and comforted her once more all we could do was watch on, absolutely flabbergasted by what we had just heard. Internally though I was absolutely seething with rage and it showed when I suddenly slammed my fist on the table. "Damn you Itsuki, why the hell would you do something like this?!" I raged, startling everyone as they looked at me with concern. "I already knew you a massive dickhead, but this is low even for you…did you learn nothing from what happened to me about how false accusations always come back to bite the-"

"Fueeee…please…don't say that Sir Shield-Hero!" Rishia begged as she raised her head to look at me. "Sir Itsuki is a good man, this can't be his fault!"

"I'm sorry Rishia, I shouldn't have raised my voice like that," I replied after calming myself down. "And I know you're only looking for him but you have to understand that what Itsuki has done is wrong on so many levels, and I know this because I was falsely accused myself. But what I'm struggling to understand is what would possess him to do something like this?"

"I believe I can answer that," a voice suddenly called out from nearby, and as we all swivelled our heads in that direction we saw one of the Queen's Shadows perched on a nearby table, the question of how she'd got there without any of us noticing again going unanswered once more.

"What do you mean?" I asked hesitantly, already knowing I wasn't going to like it.

"Her Majesty has a Shadow monitoring the Heroes at all time times to keep them safe, and as the one watching the Bow-Hero and his group I saw everything that happened before Rishia arrived," she explained gravely. "It was all started by Mald. He complained that a weakling like Rishia had taken the spotlight during the last Wave that rightfully belonged to Sir Itsuki, and as a result, she had betrayed him and deserved to be punished. The Bow-Hero agreed with him and asked what they could they do, to which one of Itsuki's other companions, the magic-caster Welst, had suggested they accuse Rishia of a false crime, blame her for it and then have her kicked out of the group."

We were all stunned into silence at this revelation but she wasn't finished yet. "The Bow-Hero had then asked the rest of them if they agreed with this, and all three of them, Mald, Welst and the rogue Rojeel, did so with Mald stating that it would be true justice for her betrayal. Afterwards, Sir Itsuki had personally given Mald one of his own accessories and told the man to break it before summoning Rishia so that they could punish her for the crime."

Everyone let out a horrified gasp as the Shadow finished her story, everyone except Rishia that is who burst into fresh tears. "Fueeeeeeeee…why-why would he do that to me?! All I ever wanted was to be of help. I should just die and end it all!" Raphtalia quickly wrapped her in a comforting hug and allowed her to carry on crying whilst rubbing her back softly.

"What would possess Sir Itsuki to do something like this?" Melty wondered, her expression heartbroken.

"What he did wasn't justice…it was plain and utter cruelty!" Keel grimaced with a shake of her head.

"Bow-Guy is such a meanie! We should go punish him!" Filo growled.

I hadn't reacted at all since the Shadow had finished her report as my brain processed what we had just been told. "_I always knew Itsuki was a massive egotist who demanded praise wherever he went, but I didn't think he'd go this far when he didn't get it!_" I raged to myself. "_Filo's right, he needs a good kick up the ass for what he's done to her!_" My decision made I slowly got to my feet, and whilst my outer expression may have been calm I was absolutely furious on the inside.

"Are you okay Fergus?" Raphtalia asked me worriedly as she continued to comfort Rishia.

"Peachy," I replied curtly. "But I think it's about time I had a small chat with my fellow Hero."

"I don't think that's going to help Fergus, you may even end up making things worse," Melty reprimanded me.

I shook my head in response. "No, this has to be done. Someone has to put Itsuki in his place and I'm the only one who can do that. His ego-mania, selfishness and jealously have gone too far this time and I am going to sort him out. This is all for Rishia's sake, no-one deserves what he put her through!"

Melty looked as though she was about to argue back but in the end nodded her approval, as did the others. Rishia, however, crawled up to me and grabbed my cloak as she gave me a pleading look. "Please, Sir Shield-Hero…please don't hurt Sir Itsuki!" She begged.

My expression softened as I knelt and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I promise you that no harm will come to him. But this has to be done Rishia, I hope you can understand that." With that, I waved for Melty and the Shadow to look after her for now as the rest of my party gathered around me, and as we put our heads together I quickly laid out my plan for when we confronted Itsuki.

§

Shortly afterwards myself, Raphtalia, Filo and Keel made our way into the hotel resort and up towards the suite where the Shadow had told us Itsuki and his party were staying. And of course, he had chosen the one at the highest point so that they could see themselves above everyone else, the thought of which caused me to snort in disgust.

"Are you all ready?" I whispered as we positioned ourselves just outside the door, and after the others had nodded I made to knock on Itsuki's door, but as I did so my ears picked up what was being spoken on the other side of the door and needless to say I was absolutely disgusted with what I heard.

"...that weakling girl got exactly what she deserved. Only Sir Itsuki deserves the spotlight as the greatest hero in the world!" I heard Mald's voice booming voice call out swiftly followed by the sounds of cheering and laughter, and my disgust only deepened as I made out Itsuki's voice amongst them.

"_The only thing these shits deserves is what's coming to them!_" I thought angrily, the growls coming from my party suggesting they thought the exact same thing. I gave them all a nod, at which Raphtalia and Keel cloaked themselves whilst Filo, now back in her Filolial form, positioned herself right in front of the door. Now that we were all in position I reached out and proceeded to knock loudly on the door.

"Go away! Sir Itsuki is not to be disturbed!" Mald yelled back. I then proceeded to give the door another loud knock which resulted in Mald repeating his words. This only caused me to knock at the door even harder.

"Mald, please deal with whoever is there," I eventually heard Itsuki sigh. This caused Mald to grumble, but judging by the heavy footsteps approaching he was doing as he was told.

"I thought I told you to-!" He started saying as he opened the door, only for his eyes to widen as he saw who it was. "You-!"

"Now," I ordered, and before he could say another word I stepped to the side which was Filo's signal to charge directly at him, and as she did so she lashed out and sent him flying back into the suite causing the other occupants to gasp in shock. Filo then charged directly into the suite followed swiftly by a cloaked Raphtalia and Keel, and as I brought up the rear I saw, to my satisfaction, Filo pinning Mald to the ground underneath one of her talons. He wasn't getting up any time soon.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" Itsuki yelled at Filo.

"I should be the one asking you that question Itsuki," I growled, barely able to keep the disdain out of my voice as Itsuki turned to look at me with narrowed eyes.

"You…" he growled in a tone of pure loathing.

"That's right, me," I replied simply. "You and I are going to talk, NOW."

"You just burst in here unannounced and flattened one of my companions for no reason, and now you're saying you just want to talk?! Go fuck yourself!" Itsuki scoffed.

"That wasn't a fucking request," I growled. "You and I are going to have a little chat, and I am not leaving until I get what I want."

"I don't answer to you Fergus, now leave before I have you and your pet thrown out," he said in a cold voice.

Filo bristled at the term 'pet' but I held out a placating hand before she went any further. "Do your worst," I challenged.

"You asked for it. Welst, Rojeel, take care of them," Itsuki sighed. No response. "Did you hear what I said? Take care of-" His words were cut off as he looked over to his companions and saw what had befallen them. As he and I had been speaking, two invisible figures had swiftly disarmed his companions and appeared to be holding them at sword-point, and as I nodded in their direction my companions uncloaked themselves. Keel had borrowed Raphtalia's mana-blade and was currently holding it at Welst's neck whilst Raphtalia was holding her usual blade at Rojeel's with orders to rough them up a little should they make one false move.

"I think you'll find your little worshippers are in no state to help you, and unless you want them to suffer you're going to do what I say." I smirked upon noticing Itsuki's frightened expression. Truth be told I had no intention of hurting them, but Itsuki wasn't to know that.

Mald then gave me the perfect opportunity to prove I was serious with my threat. "How dare you make demands of Sir Itsuki-!"

"Filo," I said curtly without breaking eye-contact with Itsuki, cutting off whatever he had to say as Filo pressed down on him a little harder causing him to yell out in pain. "Next time you speak it will be your ribs. So then Itsuki, would you like to reconsider your earlier statement?"

Itsuki grit his teeth but wisely decided not to try and save his companions, instead choosing to do the second most foolish thing imaginable right now. "I have nothing to say to you Fergus," he stated petulantly, folding his arms and looking completely disinterested.

"Why did you do it?" I asked calmly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Wrong answer, you know exactly what I am talking about. Why did you do it?" I asked again.

"Speak plainly you moron, what are you talking about?!" He replied angrily.

"Like I said you know exactly what I'm talking about, but in case you've forgotten so quickly let me jog your memory: Does the name Rishia Ivyred ring a bell?"

Itsuki stiffened momentarily as he heard the familiar name before letting out a dramatic sigh. "Figures she would run straight to you…" he muttered. "What kind of sob story did she tell you then?"

"SOB STORY?! She almost drowned herself because of what you did to her you bastard!" I roared, momentarily losing my cool.

"She was always the over-dramatic short," Itsuki replied with a dismissive wave. "But I'm surprised that a smart guy such as yourself fell so easily for her lies."

"I could tell straight away she wasn't lying. In case you've forgotten I too was the victim of a false accusation saga, and whilst I wasn't driven to the brink like she was I can still sympathise with what she's going through. That feeling of loneliness and despair where you feel you have nothing left to lose? That's how I knew she was telling the truth. She had no reason to lie."

"The rest of my party saw her do it and I trust their word far more than somebody who betrayed me. That's all that matters to me," Itsuki scoffed. "Do you really expect me to take her back after what she's done? Because if that's what you're after then you can forget it."

"_To be so convinced of your lie that you actually believe it to be the truth…how do people like him and Bitch do it?_" I thought as I shook my head. "Oh no, after what you've done to her she needs to be as far away from you as possible," I replied. "What I am here to do instead is prove that she was telling the truth, and thankfully there is undeniable proof that is the case."

I took advantage of Itsuki's hesitation to plough on. "You remember the Queen's Shadows right, the group who saved yours and Ren's life and who you said, and I quote, you owe your lives to?" Itsuki's resulting growl was all the answer I needed. "Did you know the Queen has a Shadow keeping watch on all four of us, making sure we're safe whilst reporting our every moment and action to her?"

Itsuki's face, as well as those of his companions, paled at my revelation. "_Bingo!_" "The Shadow tracking you saw everything that happened," I continued, my voice hardening with every word I spoke. "And whilst it was Mald who suggested she should be punished for supposedly stealing your spotlight, it was you who told the rest of your party to come up with a plan to do so, and after they did you offered up your own accessory and told Mald to break it to use as your 'proof' to discredit her."

Silence ensued which I took as their admission of guilt, unfortunately for them however there was more to come. "I sent my report to the Queen straight away," the Shadow in question called out from a corner of the room. "And given that she was highly unhappy with your earlier displays of petulance, I can only imagine she'll be absolutely furious with your actions here today."

"Admit what you've done Itsuki, there's no point denying it any more," I stated flatly.

Itsuki remained silent for a time and for just a fraction of a moment I hoped he would do the smart thing, that he would come clean and apologise for what he did. But that moment was dashed, my hope giving way to astonishment which slowly turned to rage as the bastard started smirking as if he was proud of what he had done! "What we did, what we all did…it was for Rishia's sake," he eventually spoke up. "She is a weakling who is completely unsuited for combat, and as such, it would be best for her to return home."

"_Un-fucking-believable, he's trying to make himself look like the good guy in all of this!_" "Then why didn't you just come out and say that to her, you moron?" I asked furiously. "Sure she might have been upset but if you'd taken the time to explain things properly to her I'm sure she would have understood!"

"The world can't be saved through feelings, only the strong can accomplish that and she was holding us back from our goal," Itsuki replied dismissively.

"That's bullshit and you know it!" I retorted. "Even the mentally retarded could have seen how devoted she was to you, heck she worshipped the fucking ground you walked upon! She would have done anything to make you happy, and I'm sure she would have appreciated it even more if you'd explained it was to keep her safe. But instead, you chose to concoct a scheme to humiliate her in the most disgusting way possible, destroying her both mentally and emotionally. And what's worse is that I think that's exactly what you wanted, why else would you be smirking the way you are?!"

"She was of no help to us. Even after classing up she didn't get any stronger and ended up becoming a burden."

"_This bastard's arrogance and pride are insane! Instead of admitting he's in the wrong, he just keeps making up excuse after excuse to try and paint her as the villain!_" I was about to tear his latest excuse a new one when I was beaten to it.

"That was entirely your doing Itsuki!" An enraged voice called out from behind us, and as we turned to look in the direction I saw the speaker had been Melty who was currently standing in the doorway glaring at Itsuki and who also had a hand tightly wrapped around Rishia's as she stood next to her.

"How dare you show your face-AGGGGGHHHHH!" Mald's tirade was cut off by the sound of a rib breaking and his subsequent scream of pain as Filo pressed down even harder on his back.

"Having witnessed what she did during the Wave as well as being a magic-caster myself, I can confirm that Rishia has a high potential for magic," Melty continued. "And yet you put her in a suit of armour, outfitted her with a sword and forced her to fight on the front lines thereby wasting her potential. How could you possibly have been so ignorant of her talents?!"

"I highly doubt that's the case," I stated coldly as I glared at Itsuki once more. "Itsuki's not a complete dumbass like Motoyasu. I bet he knew the whole time." I didn't need to say any more, the implications behind my words obvious to everyone.

"S-S-Sir I-Itsuki…" Rishia murmured loudly, and as I looked back I saw her looking at Itsuki with a pleading expression as her eyes once more shone with tears. "Was I-Was I really that much of a hindrance? Did-Did I even have the slightest chance…of being useful to you?"

"Don't say that Rishia, you know that's not true…" I told her quietly.

"I have no use for a weakling such as you," Itsuki stated coldly. "Get out of my sight, I never want to see you again."

"I-I understand…I'm-I'm so sorry," she replied softly as she wiped her eyes and let out a small smile of resignation before turning around and running out of the suite.

"Melty, go after her and make sure she doesn't do anything rash," I ordered as I turned my glare upon Itsuki once more, and as the Princess proceeded to do just that the same shit-eating smirk from before was back on his face, as though what he'd just seen was the most amusing spectacle in the world, and it was that look that finally sent me over the edge. With a wild yell, I leapt over the small table and in one swift motion grabbed Itsuki by the neck and flung him up against the wall.

"Get your hands off-UGH!" Rojeel's words were suddenly cut off, no doubt by Raphtalia pressing the side of her blade a little deeper into her neck, but I ignored all of this as my gaze remained fixed on Itsuki.

"There are three qualities I absolutely despise in a person: Arrogance, Selfishness and a massive Ego, and not only do you possess all three of them but on top of that you are a self-righteous hypocrite who doesn't have the decency to own up to what he's done, instead you blame everyone else for your mistakes!" I raged. "You claim to be on the side of justice but what you just did to an innocent girl, a girl who was absolutely devoted to you wasn't justice in the slightest. It was nothing more than pure and utter cruelty, and the worst part is you don't care about her feelings in the slightest. All that matters to you is looking like the good guy when in reality you are the villain!"

Itsuki tried to speak but I wasn't done. "Because of what the Shadow told us I was able to see right through your bullshit, nor was I fooled by any of your excuses! You and your shameless crew of ass-kissers were jealous that she that did more to help in the last Wave then any of you put together, in fact, more anyone else apart from my party and I, and because you couldn't handle that you decided to humiliate her and accuse her of betrayal. Newsflash you dolt, she deserved every bit of praise she got whereas all you lot deserved was jack-shit!"

I then let him go, causing him to collapse to the ground as I continued. "Well, I'm not going to allow you to get away with you've done. In order for justice, and I mean real justice, to be done, I'm going to take Rishia into my care, look after her and make her strong thus allowing her to fulfil her potential."

Itsuki coughed as he struggled to get his breath back, but as he looked up at me I saw that his smirk had returned. "Even you with your cheating Shield can't make her strong, she'll always be a weakling!"

I smirked at his words. "In case you've forgotten, taking the weak and making them strong is my speciality." Without breaking eye contact with him I pointed at each of my party members as I continued speaking. "A former slave-girl who is now in my view the best sword-wielder in the kingdom. A Filolial who I hatched from an egg who is going to be the next Filolial Queen. And a girl on the edge of death who is now more than your match with a bow. So you'd better fucking believe I am going to take this girl, who you are so cruelly passing off as a weakling, and make her the strongest magic-user throughout the land. In fact, I'm going to make her so strong that you'll be BEGGING me to take her back!"

"Tch, do whatever you want, it doesn't matter at all to me. Now get out of my sight." The empty tone behind his words made me realise exactly what was going on in his head: complete apathy. He had lost any interest in what he was supposed to do. In fact, he no longer cared about the people of Melromarc nor about saving the world from the Waves. All he cared about any more were his own desires and egomania, and as a result, he was more of a danger to the world than Bitch or the Three Heroes Church had ever been.

"You know what, I am so fucking done with you Itsuki," I growled as I struggled to resist the urge to deck him once more. "You can continue going around proclaiming yourself as a Hero but I no longer view you as such. You are nothing more than a self-righteous, egomaniacal tyrant who would trample on anyone who disagrees with you or gets in your way, and that makes you a threat to the entire world. I'm warning you right now, if you or any of your party come near Rishia, myself or the rest of my party ever again I will not hesitate, Hero or not, to pound you into the dirt, and the only reason I'm not doing so right now is because I promised Rishia I wouldn't."

With that, I made my way back around the table towards the entryway of the suite, but before I left I gave him one final look over my shoulder. "A while ago I told you that I had been wrong to give you any credit in the slightest, that instead of being the best of all of us you were actually the worst. Today's events only back up what I said back then. You have betrayed any expectations I ever had for you, and as a result, I wash my hands of you. What I am going to do though is make sure the other Heroes don't go the same way and I am fairly confident I can do that, because even though Ren is stubborn he at least admits his mistakes, and what's more he has plenty of time to mature, and even though Motoyasu is a moron his heart is in the right place. If he can stop skirt-chasing and start thinking for himself I have a feeling he'd be much more pleasant to deal with. You, on the other hand, are fucking irredeemable!"

I turned my head back around and was just about to take my leave when I heard the sound of a bow being strung. "Take that back, right now!" Itsuki yelled.

"_What now?!_" I thought with a sigh as I turned my head back around to see Itsuki aiming an arrow straight at my head with a manic expression on his face. But instead of being startled all I felt was…confusion. What the hell had possessed him to draw an arrow on me? Did he really hate being criticised that much? "What's the matter, you don't like it when people tell you the truth about yourself?" I asked matter-of-factly.

"You have no right to say those things! Take back what you said right now!" He repeated.

"_Where the hell is this coming from…_" I wondered, but then it clicked: Itsuki absolutely hated it when people said mean things about him because he'd no doubt gotten a lot of it back in his world. If I had to guess I'd say he'd been bullied a lot as he was growing up, and as a result this had manifested into a desire to be showered in praise and glory which had transferred over into this world. Now that I thought about it, being bullied would also fuel a desire for justice which explained his whole Hero of justice act. All of this, along with having a party who praised his every deed whilst pushing around anyone who dared speak badly about him, amounted to an ego the size of a planet which also explained why he hadn't been able to stand it when Rishia got praised over him. This explained, yet in no way excused, everything he had done.

"Ah, I see exactly what this is all about now…" I stated solemnly, still managing to remain calm even with an arrow aimed directly between my eyes. "You can't handle the thought of being criticised, that's why you've surrounded yourself with a bunch of ass-kissers who think you are God himself, and as a result you push around anyone you view as beneath you because you believe, as self-proclaimed heroes of justice, that you can get away with it. The sad reality Itsuki is that you have become the exact thing you believe you are fighting against…a self-righteous bully and a thug."

As I expected that proved a step too far as, with a look of pure loathing, he proceeded to loose his arrow straight at my face. But since I was anticipating that I was able to get my Shield up and deflect it, and as I did so I changed it into the Viper Chimera Shield. "Snake Bite!" I commanded, and as the snake heads came to life I directed them to sink their fangs into Rojeel's arm, pumping them full of venom and causing her to scream in pain as Raphtalia proceeded to release her. At the same time I nodded to Keel, who withdrew the mana-sword from Welst's neck only to plunge it straight through his chest, draining him of his mana and causing him to collapse to the ground.

"You'll both live," I stated coldly as they squirmed around in pain. "Count yourselves lucky since what you are going through is only a fraction of the pain you all caused Rishia. However, not all of you will be so lucky. Filo! Crush a few more of Mald's ribs for me would you?"

"Gladly!" Filo exclaimed, pushing down even harder on Mald's back. The resulting sounds of his ribs breaking and the scream of pain to accompany it was so satisfying. What that all done I gave Itsuki a final glare, spat at the ground near his feet, and as my companions and I made to leave I dug out an antidote and threw it at Rojeel's feet. With that done, my party and I left the suite without another word or glance back in Itsuki's direction.

§

"I'm sorry you all had to see that, but I hope you can understand why I had to do it," I apologised to the girls as we made our way out of the resort.

"What Sir Itsuki did to Rishia was beyond cruel, so what you did was entirely justified," Raphtalia replied as she latched onto my arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Bow-Guy is even worse than Spear-Guy! He and that stupid man deserved far worse!" Filo cried.

"I just hope Rishia's okay after what he said to her," Keel spoke up with concern.

"I highly doubt it, Keel, in fact, I doubt she'll be okay for a long while yet. I just hope Melty prevented her from doing anything reckless," I replied gravely to which they all nodded in agreement.

Once more the Queen's Shadow popped up with some helpful information: "Miss Ivyred ran off in the direction of the beach, but Princess Melty was right on her heels. You should head in that direction." Taking her advice we took off at a sprint towards the beach and as soon as we got there I spotted Rishia desperately trying to throw herself into the water with Melty doing her best to hold her back. I immediately ran up behind them and grabbed Rishia, pulling her into me as I dragged her away from the water. "It's okay Rishia, I'm here for you," I murmured.

She immediately tried to break free of my grasp whilst continuing to wail in despair. "Fueeeeeee…please let me die Shield-Hero! If I can't be of help to Sir Itsuki then what's the point in a weakling such as myself staying alive?!"

"You aren't weak Rishia," I told her in a gentle yet firm voice. "Remember what I told you earlier? If it hadn't been for you I wouldn't have been able to end the Wave, and if not for your actions a lot of innocent people would have died. You are much stronger then you realise, don't let other people decide that for you."

This caused her to stop both her crying and her struggling as she slowly turned her head to face me. "Y-You really believe I'm strong?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course I do!" I replied, my companions nodding in agreement as I loosened my grip on her slightly. "And besides, don't you want to prove to Itsuki that he was wrong to cast you out the way he did? If you come with us, I promise that we'll look after you. We can help you get stronger so that you can stand on your own two feet, clear your name, and prove to Itsuki, his party and everyone else who doubted you that they were wrong."

"Y-You would all do that…for me?" Rishia asked, looking around at everyone.

"We all support one another and we would support you as well if you chose to come with us. And I know Master Fergus will be able to keep you safe just like he's done for us," Raphtalia spoke up with a beaming smile.

"We can make you really strong and make Bow-Guy pay for being so mean to you!" Filo piped up.

"What Sir Itsuki did to you was wrong, and if you come with us we can help you make things right as well as get him to apologise for what he did," Keel assured her.

"Having travelled with Fergus and the others myself, I can personally assure you that you'll be safe. Everyone here will look after you really well," Melty finished, and as my companions had spoken I had noticed a small smile form on Rishia's face. And yet just when I thought she was going to accept she lowered her head, tears falling once more. I was just about to ask her what was wrong when she suddenly lifted her head back up and gave me a determined look.

"E-Even if I come with you…my heart will always belong to Sir I-Itsuki. Please try to understand that…"

"_Bless her heart. Despite everything he put her through she still loves him…_" I marvelled as I reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. "We would never try and change that, you are your own person and are allowed to make your own choices in life," I told her firmly. "But if you ever feel as though you need to discuss those feelings, please talk to myself or Raphtalia since we are in a relationship ourselves."

Her eyes swam with tears once more, but judging by the smile on her face they were happy tears instead of sad ones. "T-Then I will entrust myself to the care of you and your party Sir Shield-Hero."

"Welcome aboard Rishia," I said with a smile, words that were echoed by the rest of my party.

§

The following day all four Heroes along with the parties sailed back to Melromarc, and this time I made myself and my party had the proper rooms. During the boat ride, I had made to not only keep myself and my party as far away from Itsuki and his group as possible but to also have a private chat with the other two Heroes regarding what had happened. Surprisingly Motoyasu was pretty upset with Itsuki's actions, although I suspected the true reason why was because it was a girl, before making me swear not to mistreat her, which I, of course, would never do. And rather unsurprisingly Ren was very hesitant to believe me, although I couldn't blame him since he and Itsuki were still friends. However, both Heroes agreed to take what I had said under advisement.

Once we had docked my party and I had retrieved Filo's cart so that we could return to the capital to both drop Melty off as well as report to the Queen. As I had suspected the Queen was furious with Itsuki's actions, and whilst she couldn't do anything to punish him she would bear this incident in mind when dealing with him in the future. Aside from that she had nothing for us to at this time but did mention that the request I had made to her was ready, causing the girls to look my way curiously. I kept my face completely emotionless as I bowed and thanked her for it.

With that business sorted we made a quick stop at Erhard's shop to replenish our supplies as well as purchase some equipment for Rishia, and once that was done I had a quiet word in Filo's ear about where I wanted her to take us and soon enough we hit the road once more. Both Raphtalia and Keel tried to ask me where we were going only for me to tell them to wait and see, and whilst they weren't fully convinced they accepted what I said.

As we got closer to our destination I called for Filo to halt, and as we stopped I pulled out a pair of blindfolds and asked Raphtalia and Keel to put them on for me. Once again they were both initially unconvinced, but after promising them it would be worth it they put the blindfolds on as I ordered Filo to set off again. A couple of minutes later we had arrived at our destination, and as Filo pulled the cart up in a safe place Rishia and I made sure Raphtalia and Keel were able to step down safely from the cart before leading them forward a few paces.

"Okay Rishia, when I count to three can you remove Keel's blindfold for me please?" I asked her quietly as we moved Raphtalia and Keel into position.

"Um, okay Fergus," she replied. Just like Raphtalia and Keel she too was confused about what was going on. In fact, the only other person who was in on it was Filo, who was having to suppress her giggles so that she didn't give it away.

"Right then, on the count of three…one…two…THREE!" As I got to three I whipped the blindfold off of Raphtalia's eyes just as Rishia removed the blindfold from Keel's eyes, and as they got their first look at our surroundings they let out an astonished gasp at what they saw which caused me to let out a chuckle.

Yet despite my amusement at their reactions, internally I was astonished at how quickly things had progressed. After all, it had only been a few days since I had made my request to the Queen, and yet as I looked all around the valley I could see humans and demi-humans alike working in tandem putting buildings back together, lugging around the necessary materials or in some cases conversing together over a small meal. Not only that but a lot of buildings had already been restored, most of which I assumed were homes but I could also see that one or two of the larger buildings, as well as the town hall, had been completed, presumably to be used as shops or storage areas.

"W-What's going on here?" Keel stammered, unable to believe her eyes. Raphtalia, on the other hand, had been stunned into silence, the only indication that she was still conscious was her eyes looking around all over the place. At this point, Filo couldn't help herself and burst into laughter at their stunned faces and even Rishia let out a small giggle.

"I'm guessing you all like it?" I heard an amused voice call out from nearby and as we turned to look we saw the familiar form of Van Reichnott striding towards us, his usual soft smile in place.

"If I'm honest this is all progressing much faster than I thought it would, but I'm really happy that's the case," I replied as I shook his hand in greeting.

"Van? What are you doing here? And what's going on?" Raphtalia asked curiously as she proceeded to shake his hand next.

"That's for the Shield-Hero to tell you," Van told her as he finished shaking our hands, making sure to introduce himself to Rishia as he did so, before turning to give me an amused look. "I have to say, Fergus, you've done a brilliant job of keeping it a secret until now."

"It wasn't easy," I admitted as both Raphtalia and Keel turned their gazes to me. Guess it was time for me to come clean. "This is the reward I requested from the Queen," I told everyone present, my eyes on the two demi-humans in front of me. "For your home village to be restored and for the people who once lived here to be returned to their homes." I proceeded to give them a big smile. "Welcome home you two."

Neither of them moved for a short while as they both started trembling, hands to their mouths as their eyes started swimming with tears, the realisation at what this meant dawning on them as I reflected on how everything we had been through, all the trials and tribulations, all the good times and the bad, had been more than worth it, just to get to this moment.

I had never forgotten the promise I had made to Raphtalia back at Van's estate all those weeks ago, and like I had told both her and Keel I had been determined to make their dreams of seeing their home restored a reality, and as I continued watching their reaction I mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Queen Mirellia for making this wish of ours come true.

In the end it was Raphtalia who broke the silence as with a small sob she flung herself at me, and as I caught her in my arms she proceeded to wrap herself around me, her eyes looking at me with an expression of pure love as she then leant in and caught my lips in a passionate kiss, one which I had no trouble returning.

"Fergus…" she sobbed as we eventually separated, tears of happiness running down her cheeks. "Thank you so much…for keeping your promise…and for bringing me back home. You've made me the happiest girl in the world…"

"I always keep my promises Raphtalia, and I'm glad to see you so happy," I murmured as I gave her one final squeeze, and as she unwrapped herself from me Keel came over and, with a sob of her own, flung her arms around me and gave me a tight hug which I had no trouble returning.

"Thank you…" she murmured. I patted her back in response and told her she was more than welcome.

"A-hem!" A very familiar voice coughed, and as we looked over in the direction it came from we were all astonished to see Melty making her way towards us, a smirk plastered across her face.

"MEL!" Filo cried happily as she and Mel exchanged their usual enthusiastic greeting whenever they reunited.

"What are you doing here Mel?" I asked once she and Filo had separated.

"I'm going to be sticking around for a few days, for reasons you are about to find out," Melty replied, never losing her smirk as then turned to face Van. "Van, could you please spread the word for everyone to halt what they are doing and come to the main square for an announcement?"

Van quickly agreed, and a short while later I was standing next to my party, Melty and Van in front of the town hall as we watched everyone gathering together in front of us, and from the crowd already assembled I was able to pick out some familiar faces: The retired martial arts adventurer, Ake and the entire squad of knights from Lute Village along with their families as well as the adventurers who had fought alongside Ake and myself during the third Wave. Also amongst the crowd were several shop-owners from the capital, including the tailor, the apothecary and the magic-shop owner, as well as several adventurers, store owners and merchants who I had met during our travels. But what pleased me most of all when looking over the crowd was seeing an almost even spread of humans and demi-humans of both genders and all ages. Even though I had been determined to make it happen I had often thought my dream of seeing humans and demi-humans co-existing happily together was still a long way away, and yet it was happening right in front of my eyes, proof that with the right amount of hard work and determination any dream could be made reality.

And yet still I was astonished by the sheer amount of people gathering in front of us, this was more than I had ever expected! "Why are there so many of them?" I asked Melty.

"As soon as they heard what was going on here they all volunteered to come and help out, and on top of that a lot of people who have benefited from you previous acts of kindness have decided to make a new life for themselves here whilst at the same time promising to do whatever they can to repay you," Melty replied with a smile. "And before you ask, the humans here are all more than happy to live alongside demi-humans, and those who expressed any racist sentiments during the past few days were told to leave."

"Thank you," I replied, touched beyond measure at the lengths she and her mother had gone to make this happen, and as we turned to look back over the crowd we saw that everyone had gathered.

And as they, along with my party and I, looked on curiously Melty proceeded to unravel an official scroll and make the following declaration: "In the name of Queen Mirellia Q Melromarc, I, Second Princess Melty Melromarc, hereby bestow Seaetto's demi-human region, from now on to be known as New Rurorona, to the Shield-Hero Fergus Ward, along with all governing rights!"

"_WHAT?!_" I thought to myself in astonishment, my companions all looking equally stunned as the crowd proceeded to let out a massive cheer. The Queen and Mel…were naming me the lord of this region?! Why?! I didn't have any experience in ruling, and I'm sure there were many others far more deserving of the title. On top of that, I had never asked or demanded this, all I had wanted was for the village to be restored so that Raphtalia, Keel and their people could have their homes back!

But at the same time, seeing how delighted everyone was at Melty's announcement made me realise…this is what they wanted as well…and if this was what they wanted then there was no way I could say no to them, no matter what objections I was still holding onto. I wasn't sure how good of a leader I could be, but for their sake, I would do my absolute best. Still, I had to ask the obvious. "Are…are you being serious?" I asked Mel, who along with Van grinned back at me.

"Absolutely! After all, none of this would have been possible without you so it's only right that you are put in charge. It's also why I'm sticking around for a few days so that I can give you and Raphtalia lessons on how to act like a Lord and Lady." She then stretched her arm out towards the expectant crowd. "Go on, your people are waiting."

"_Well that explains things,_" I thought to myself, and as I looked at my companions I saw them smiling at me as well. Buoyed their belief in me and carried along by the continued cheers of the crowd I took a few steps forward, and as I raised a hand everyone immediately quietened down and listened intently as I started speaking.

"I never wanted this title," I began cautiously. "But if this is what you all want then I will undertake this role to the best of my ability. In return I ask that you all lend me your strength so that together we can rebuild this place and make it a thriving community once more, one where everyone, human and demi-human alike, can live in peace, and I fully believe that in the spirit of co-operation we can all do our part to achieve that."

The cheer that resulted brought a massive smile to my face, and as after it had died down I resumed speaking: "In order to accomplish that, our first order of business should be to get all the buildings restored whilst at the same time getting the economy of this region going again through utilisation of the local resources as well as trade, and I will be relying on those with expertise in those fields to advise me on how we can best do that. I will also be relying on everyone who can do their part as well." As another cheer broke out I turned to look at Van who had been watching everything with his usual smile in place. "Van, I would be honoured if you became my advisor since I have a feeling I'm going to need a lot of advice on how to rule effectively. I would also like you to govern the region any time I am away."

"I would be honoured to aid you to the best of my abilities Lord Fergus," he replied with a short bow.

"_Thank goodness, now I don't have to worry about screwing up…speaking of which I hope I don't mess up what I'm about to say…_" "There is also one more thing I need to ask of you all," I spoke up after the next round of cheers had died down. "As you all are no doubt aware the threat of the Waves of Catastrophe is far from over. Not only that but they are only going to get stronger from here on out, and as such, I am planning to put together a small army to help combat them. And no, I am not going to force any of you to do this, but to any of you who wish to volunteer, I promise on my honour as a Cardinal Hero, as well as your new Lord to make sure you have the best training and equipment that I can provide, along with a vow to keep each and every person who volunteers safe." With those words, I flung myself into a bow. "I know it is wrong of me to ask this of you so soon but please…I ask you to lend me whatever strength you can once more so that we may fight to defend this world together!"

A long, drawn-out silence followed my words, but just as I was fearing that no-one would speak up…

"I will fight alongside you, Lord Fergus!" I heard a female voice call out, and as I looked up I saw a demi-human with fox-like ears waving determinedly at me.

"As will I, I'll help you fight back the Waves!" A human with spiked black hair followed up, and before long many others followed their example with various cries of determination that touched my heart.

"Thank you all so much," I told them before addressing the whole crowd once more. "I believe that if we all work together in the days, weeks, and months ahead, we can make this place, our home, one to be proud of and thus set an example to the rest of Melromarc…no, the rest of the world…about the benefits of diversity and co-operation. It's going to be a long road ahead, but I know as long we walk it together it will lead to a prosperous future! Are you all with me?" I flung my fist high into the air.

Everyone present, including my companions, Melty and Reichnott, raised their arms along with me and let out a huge cheer, and as I looked back at my party I saw them all looking at me with wide smiles, Raphtalia in particular with beaming at me with pride. And at that moment, I swore that I would defend all these people, MY people, with my very life and that I would do whatever I had to keep them happy, just as a person in power should do.

§

"_Even though I'm only an hour or two into my new role we've already got a lot done,_" I thought as I took a moment for myself on the roof of the town hall. I had barely stepped away after my speech when a crowd of people had come up to me and together we had started making plans for the future.

The first order of business had been to restart the fishing business on the coast, and fortunately, there were one or two expert fishermen amongst the populace who had volunteered to take charge, and so I had them liaise with the craftsmen and wood-cutters to start constructing fishing boats.

Next up were the visiting merchants who had provided me with lists of various resources they were able to provide through their contacts, and as we went through all the resources we had available to us we were able to put the building blocks in place for future trade arrangements.

Keel had offered to take charge of the hunting parties which I was grateful for, and as I looked on I could see her putting together her first party. Their role would be to clear out the surrounding areas of any dangerous monsters as well as hunt game for the village to eat, and given the number of people here she'd need several parties to keep up with demand but I had confidence in her abilities.

I'd then had a quiet word with the magic-shop owner regarding Rishia's situation, and after we had discovered that Rishia was able to cast all types of magic, which according to the old magic-caster was a very rare gift, I had her take the shy girl under her wing in order to develop her abilities and thus allow her to fulfil her potential.

Ake and his fellow guards had then offered to take charge of training any volunteers who wished to help me fight the Waves, an offer I had gratefully fallen upon since right now we had no other trainers of note, something I would have to sort out next time I spoke with the Queen.

After that Van Reichnott and I had discussed which buildings we needed to prioritise for re-construction as well as any additional buildings that would need to be built from the ground up. The one thing we both agreed on was that construction of houses would be our top priority, and once everyone in the village had a roof over their head and a bed they could sleep in we would move on to other projects. As Van Reichnott had left to carry out my instructions Melty had come up and told me that mine and Raphtalia's lessons were to start soon, but thankfully I was spared a lecture on their importance as Filo ran up and dragged the Princess away to play with her, thereby allowing me to escape so that I could catch my breath.

As I was reflecting on all of this I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and a body snuggle into my back. "Hey there Raphtalia," I greeted her.

"How did you know it was me?" She asked, giggling.

"Only two people hug me like that and I know Filo is currently playing with Mel so it had to be you," I replied, and as she let go of my back I turned around and immediately wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a quick kiss. In response, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed into me as she returned it.

"So how is the Lady of New Rurorona doing?" I asked with a chuckle as we separated.

"I don't think I will ever get used to that title," she admitted with a chuckle of her own, her eyes shining with happiness. "Thank you, Fergus…for everything you have done for me here today. You've not only made me the happiest woman in the world but also, after watching your speech just a short while ago, the proudest. I know you will be an excellent leader, and I will always be at your side to support you."

"Thank you Raphtalia, your love and your support will always mean the world to me and your happiness will always be my top priority," I promised. "And this is OUR home now, our base of operations to fight back the Waves and the new starting point for our future together."

She gave me another beaming smile before turning to look out over the village, and as she did so tears came to her eyes. "I wish my parents, Rifana and the others could have been here to see this…"

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "As do I, but they'll be watching over us in spirit, and I know they'd be delighted at what we're doing here. With everyone's efforts I know we'll make this a place they would have been proud to call home."

"I believe you, Fergus," she replied as she gave me another kiss on the cheek.

I gave her an affectionate look before turning to look back over the village. "It's hard to believe that the first time we met each other, all those months ago, we were nothing more than a slave and a disgraced Hero. And yet even then I knew we would be able to rise up and break those shackles that society had placed upon us, and now here we are, after everything we've been through, the Lord and Lady of a region where humans and demi-humans are going to live in peace," I reflected aloud, whilst at the same time also thinking about how far I'd come since that fateful day that I'd been summoned into this world alongside the other Heroes, before turning to look down at Raphtalia once more. "You know Raphtalia, I've never been much of a believer in pre-ordained things such as fate and destiny, instead choosing to believe that we are the forgers of our own future, and yet for some reason I feel like you and I were fated to meet that day, that somehow, someway, we were meant to be together."

"I feel the same Fergus," she replied. "As soon as I looked into your eyes for the first time I knew you were going to be my Hero, the person who would free me from darkness and who would allow me to stand by their side." Our gazes locked onto each other's eyes, just like they had done on that day back in Beloukas' tent. "Thank you…for being there that day, and for everything we have been through together as a result. And I swear once more to be by your side forever, as both your Sword and your girlfriend."

"And I vow to keep you by my side forever, as both your Hero and your boyfriend." With that, we shared one more passionate kiss. "And as long as the two of us, along with the rest of our party, are together…we can face anything the future has in store for us."

We both turned to look back out over New Rurorona, over what had once been nothing more than ruins and broken-down buildings. But just like Raphtalia and I, it too would rise and become much greater than anyone could have ever dreamed of, a place where we could all start anew. And I knew with certainty that even though this chapter of our tale was ending, there would be many more adventures to come in the future.

The story of the Shield-Hero and his friends would continue!

**OUTRO: The Rising of The Shield Hero OP 2 "Faith" - English Cover by Studio Yuraki  
(make sure to check out their Youtube channel, they've done covers of plenty of anime openings and they all sound amazing)**

**And there we are, how fitting that the last chapter is by far the longest at almost 14k words, yet there was no way I was saving any of this for another chapter since 32 is a good number to end on. And I must confess I have been emotional whilst writing this chapter and found some parts, especially towards the end, very hard to write. But I did it, and whilst it may not be the finest chapter I have ever written I am happy with it as a finale.**

**It's just like I said at the start of this story, we were always going to reach the same conclusion as the anime did, but some parts of the story were slightly different, and there are quite a few changes even though we have arrived at the same point, the most obvious being the FergusxRaphtalia pairing as well as Keel being a member of Fergus' party along with the minor ones such as the new name for the region as well as the addition of community service to Trash and Bitch's punishments.**

**And here I explain why I delayed the release of this chapter: I wanted to get the confrontation between Fergus and Itsuki absolutely perfect and it turned out exactly how I wanted it. I knew as I watched the last episode, and after seeing that scene wasn't included that I was going to have it in this story. I really wanted to tear Itsuki a new one and as such I may have made him look slightly more despicable here, but only because I hate the cocky little prick! And I may have taken slightly too much pleasure in pushing his buttons as well as subjecting Mald to a world of hurt.**

**And yes Raphtalia was always going to confront Fergus about taking too much on himself. After all, she knows him better than anyone and would do anything to make his life easier.**

**I'm not going to put a 'Complete' label by this story today because in the next few days I want to write up a final author's note where I will thank every individual and story that has inspired me whilst writing this story, as well as to update everyone on my future story plans. **

**Once again thank you, thank you THANK YOU for every follow, favourite and review for this story, it really means the world to me. And I can safely assure you that this is not the end. Fergus, Raphtalia, Filo, Keel, Rishia, Melty and everyone else will return in Adventures of a True Shield Hero, which will start as soon as season 2 of the anime airs.**

**This is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, but I will be back in the next few days!**


	35. Final Thanks and Future Plans

**A tale that started on 11th February 2019 as an idea I had after watching The Rising of the Shield Hero anime. and here we are 9 months and 297,520 words later (which excludes all author's notes and non-story updates). Honestly... I don't know what else to say. When I first started this I half-expected that I'd be giving up on this story after about 10 chapters or so, but as the time and chapters went on and it became more and more popular it was no longer just a story. It became an essential part of my daily life, and even though it would take hours to write parts and days to plan the chapters I loved every single bit of it.**

**I've read hundreds, maybe thousands of stories here on FanFiction but I never thought I'd actually have the guts to write my own much less finish it. And not only that but actively planning for a trilogy based on this story! And yet here I am and I'm so glad I took the plunge. It has allowed me to not only give my idea wings and bring it to life but also to inspire other authors to write their own stories.**

**Now that this story is out of the way, what does the future hold for me until the second season of The Rising of the Shield Hero starts airing? Well first of all the corrections that I talked about starting in one of the last chapters? Well in the next week or so I am going to dedicate an hour or two per day to noting down corrections for every chapter, without doing more than one chapter a day. And once that is done I will start implementing them chapter by chapter when I have the time.**

**I am also happy to announce that my next story will be a one-shot based off of my AU Shield-Hero, and since it's this time of year...that's correct, I am planning a one-shot Xmas story for Fergus and the gang as Fergus gets his first experience of Christmas in this new world. What presents will be exchanged between Fergus and his party? And will Fergus even bother getting the other Heroes presents? It will be much more light-hearted and expect some more Fergus and Raphtalia fluff as well.**

**And then once we get into 2020 my next story will be based on the ending of the video-game Attack on Titan 2 and will focus on my OC Nameless Hero and his determination to return to his friends. This will obviously change the ending of the game and will then follow the events of Attack on Titan from that point forward in small storyline chunks that will focus on the major events in particular, and will also feature an OCxSasha ship.**

**And then once that is done, the next story will be an Isekai Quartet AU called Isekai Quintet where Fergus, Raphtalia, Filo, Melty and Keel will be transported to another world where they will attend school alongside the characters of Overlord, Konosuba!, Re:Zero and The Saga of Tanya the Evil. How will they get along with such a colourful array of characters and what japery will ensue? We shall see!**

**Now that my future plans are all sorted now, it's time to move on to thanking everyone and every story who has given me advice and has inspired this story, and we have quite a list so let's get straight to it:**

**The first person to thank of course is Aneko Yusagi for creating the Rising of the Shield Hero in the first place, without whom none of this would have been possible. Thank you for giving us the memorable story and characters we have all come to know and love as well as the original sandbox that has allowed us to produce our own fan content based on your work. We are not worthy and we will always be grateful.**

**The next people to thank are Takao Abo and everyone at Kinema Citrus who is responsible for the anime adaptation of the Rising of the Shield-Hero since it was by watching the anime that gave me and many others the inspiration to start our own fan stories in the first place.**

**To all of my real-life friends who have supported me all the way even though they had no idea what I was writing about. Your unconditional love and support has meant and will always mean the world to me and I love you all for it.**

**Now on to the FanFiction exclusive thank yous, and I would like to start by thanking two people in particular for all of their advice at different points in the story: The first person is najex, whose constructive criticism and advice near the start gave me the encouragement to keep going with writing the story my own way. And the other person is KaminoDoujutsu whose tips for correcting the way I constructed paragraphs and spoken exchanges really helped tidy up my story from Chapter 21 onwards. Thank you both so much for what you did.**

**Second of all, I want to thank everyone who exchanged PM's with me and whose advice, encouragement and chats have kept me sane throughout the past nine months. Particular thanks go out to altajir95, SaibotVapor, rmarcano321, NorthSouthGorem, Zinmaster24, 3dge, VladImpaler and Ascandas for everything you did for me and all of the encouragement, support and words of wisdom you bestowed. You are all awesome.**

**Now I want to list off all the stories that helped and inspired me to write this story and that you should all check out when you have the chance (and unless I specify otherwise they are all Rising of the Shield Hero stories on this site): "The Fear of the Kingdom" by ChsisAnialation, "From Soldier to Hero" by zinmaster24, "Shield-Hero: A New Symbol of Faith" by HunterQwon, "The Teachings of the Bow hero" by NorthSouthGorem, "Armory of the Forgotten Hero" by Masked Spider, "The Hardest Choice" by Allen Blaster, "For A Price" by Danny vs A Month and "Moments" by momoxtoshiro (which is a Sword Art Online story).**

**Also want to give a shout-out to authors who were inspired to start their own stories based off my own, two in particular: "The Demon Lord of the Shield" by OverlordDracoLucifer whose conversations also kept me sane during the past few weeks and "How I became a Shield Hero" by Spamdex. Best of luck to the both of you and I hope you will all send some love their way.**

**And my final and biggest thanks goes out to everyone who has read, favourited, followed and left a review on my story. To be honest, I don't know what got you all to stick around this long, but it means the world to me that so many of you have liked this story. I never expected it to get the numbers it did and that is all thanks to each and every single one of you, and whilst I may not have gotten to read every review, all of those I did read, whether they were positive, negative or offering feedback/advice, thank you all so much.**

**And so for the final time, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I will see you...in my next story! Expect the True Shield Hero Xmas story to drop during the Christmas week, so until then take care everyone! **


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